Dangers in the past
by Star Polaris
Summary: Complete Harry finally defeated Voldemort, now the Death eaters want to set things right, the only way... that the boy who lived is never born.
1. The decision

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Harry's face was blank, looking at his headmaster and his godfather. It had barely been a month since he had finally killed Voldemort. The moment it had happened, something had died inside him. He guessed it was the presence he always felt when the dark lord was nearby. He knew he should be happy, everyone else was, but he couldn't bring himself to be happy and carefree again, too much had happened to him.  
  
It was the first day of the summer holidays; he would spend them for the first time in his life with Sirius, even that thought was barely able to make him smile. He saw the nurse fussing over him for a final check-up before he was finally allowed to leave the hospital wing, where he had stayed all of past month.  
  
Dumbledore and Sirius seemed to be discussing something important; they had been talking for the last half hour with a seriousness that was uncommon for both men. Finally, Madame Pomfrey stepped back from the bed and said he was ready to go. The two men stopped talking and approached them.  
  
" So, everything alright?" Dumbledore said looking at Harry.  
  
"All his injuries are healed, Headmaster, but don't be surprised if you get tired a lot, Harry, it's to be expected."  
  
The boy nodded and looked expectantly at the headmaster, as if sensing the old man had to tell him something he wouldn't like. Dumbledore read his gaze and answered the unspoken question. "Harry, we have received notice that some death eaters have gone back in time to try and kill your parents before you're born, in hopes that Voldemort won't be defeated if you're not here. We have been able to pinpoint their location in the year 1975, that's when your parents were in fifth year. Professor Snape has been able to go with the death eaters as a spy and we have been able to infiltrate Charlie Weasley as help for the professor of Care of Magical Creatures. However, I would like for Sirius to take the job of DADA teacher. He knew James and Lily better than anyone else and will be able to protect them from the death eaters."  
  
Harry's face betrayed nothing of any thoughts or emotions and it made Sirius feel nervous. Finally he spoke. "So, I have to return to the Dursley's?" Sirius's head snapped up and he locked eyes with his godson. "Of course not! I would never allow you to return to those sorry excuse of muggles."  
  
He looked almost outraged at that thought, Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke in a calming voice. "In fact Harry, you have several choices."  
  
"Which are?"  
  
"You can stay with the Weasley's, who I'm sure would be delighted, you can stay with Remus Lupin, or you could go back with Sirius."  
  
Harry's interest was immediately drawn. "You would allow that, sir?"  
  
"Yes, Harry, except there are a few rules you have to follow. You are right now in no condition to begin to exert yourself, so you will be placed in fifth year again, and it also will allow you to be with your parents. You will be staying with Sirius in the teacher's dorms till you're strong enough to return to the dorms, Madame Pomfrey insists that you need a lot of rest and I'm sure you won't be getting it any in the common rooms. If you agree to these terms, you can go with Sirius. Do you want to think about it?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "There's nothing to think about, sir, I want to be with Sirius"  
  
His godfather smiled happily at him and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled gently. " I thought you would choose to go with him, so your things are already packed. I will send you to a time, five days before term begins. My past self won't be expecting you so you will have to get the job on your own, Sirius. No one is to know who you really are if you can help it, so you will be using fake names. Sirius you will go as Ryan Desclair and you Harry will be Harry Danton. Even though you still look a lot like James, now that you wear contacts and have your hair long, you are no longer identical, so it shouldn't be a problem. Charlie is going by the name of Ethan Surley, he will act like an old childhood friend of yours, Harry, kind of an older brother, ok?" They both nodded. " You will have to go to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley to buy some things. I'll give you money from the Order, Sirius, to pay for it. And Harry, if you want to fly, I think it might be better if you bought another broom. That Firebolt of yours might cause to much unneeded attention."  
  
At hearing this, Madame Pomfrey's head shot up from where she had been writing. "You are not going to fly until, at least, two weeks have passed. Is that understood, young man?"  
  
"Yes ma'am"  
  
"Ok, now that everything is taken care of, you should be going. Your trunks are already in my office as are the cages of Hedwig and Godric, I suppose I assumed correctly that you want to bring them with you, Harry?"  
  
The boy nodded. Hedwig had been his owl since his first year, it had been his first birthday present ever and he had grown very attached at her. Godric was a phoenix he had found injured in the Forbidden Forest when he was serving detention with Hagrid one night. The bird had allowed him to help it and had stayed at his side ever since.  
  
"Where are Derek and Echo?"  
  
Harry smiled and showed his arm to the headmaster where a snake laid dozing off. He had found the snake injured in a small forest in Dumbledore's manor and the old man had allowed him to keep him as company.  
  
"Derek is here, and Echo is sleeping in the pocket of my robes."  
  
Echo was a little fairy that he had found lost around the castle one day. He had helped her find the way back to the forest and they had met regularly on the grounds until she decided to stay with him permanently.  
  
" Very well, Charlie will be waiting for you at the entrance, lets not make him wait."  
  
Harry tried to stand up, but immediately his legs felt like they were made of Jell-O. Sirius quickly steadied him by wrapping an arm around his waist and griping his arm.  
  
" Thanks Sirius."  
  
" You're welcome, Kid, let's go."  
  
Slowly they followed Dumbledore to his office, with Sirius occasionally lifting Harry in his arms when they had to climb up stairs. At first Harry protested, but Sirius wouldn't hear of it. He didn't want for Harry to overexert himself when he still was weak. When they finally arrived, Harry was panting heavily and Sirius was supporting most of the boy's weight, and looking down at him with concern. Sirius carried him up the last flight of stairs and into Dumbledore's office, where he made him sit down in one of the chairs. He brushed some of Harry's hair out of his eyes and looked him over carefully. "Are you ok, Kid?"  
  
Harry nodded and closed his eyes, trying to stop panting. Sirius and Dumbledore waited patiently until the boy had regained his breath and opened his eyes again.  
  
" Ok, Sirius, here are all the papers you'll need to get the job, and here is the money." Sirius took both things and thanked him. Dumbledore smiled at him, "ready to go?"  
  
"Yes, sir,"  
  
Dumbledore handed Sirius a time-turner. "It has been charmed so that with every turn, you go back one year, understand?"  
  
" Yes, sir. Come on, Harry."  
  
The boy stood up and took a place next to his godfather. They both took a hold of their trunks and in a flash of light disappeared from Dumbledore's office.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: This had been revised, there are not major changes, just some adjustments to make the story easier to understand. Thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	2. Going Back

Disclaimer: This is rather stupid if you ask me, there's simply no way the characters in this story are mine.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
Harry opened his eyes when he landed, his legs gave away under him and he was falling when someone quickly caught him. Looking down on him was the concerned face of Charlie Weasley.  
  
" Are you ok, Harry?" The boy nodded, not making any effort to step out of the older boy's arms. He looked around and saw they were at the entrance door of the Hogwarts grounds. Charlie carefully moved him so he was leaning against his side and shook hands with Sirius.  
  
"Hello Ryan." The older man smiled.  
  
"How are things going Ethan?"  
  
"Fine, Dumbledore's expecting you." Sirius raised his eyebrows.  
  
"He is? Albus said he wouldn't"  
  
" I know, but he was kind of desperate to find a DADA teacher, he hasn't been able to find one yet and he's getting nervous, he likes to find them earlier. I told him I had a friend who maybe would be able to take the place, but that he had to take care of his godson. The headmaster asked me to write you and tell you, you and Harry would be welcome here if you wanted the job." Sirius smiled pleased.  
  
" Good, that certainly helps a lot."  
  
While his godfather and Charlie talked, Harry had leaned further into Charlie's side and had closed his eyes. He was nearly sleeping when he felt someone gently lift him, he moaned softly and groggily opened his eyes, for some strange reason he felt very tired.  
  
" Shh, sleep little one." His godfather's comforting voice pushed him into sleep almost immediately. Sirius felt Harry go limp in his arms and smiled tenderly down to the slim figure of his godson. Charlie on the other hand was looking concerned.  
  
" Is he alright, Ryan?"  
  
"Don't worry Ethan, the school nurse said he would be tired a lot, the last battle took nearly all he had to give, besides it's the first day he's been allowed up." The younger man nodded.  
  
" You know it's hard to believe he's the strongest wizard alive, stronger then Dumbledore and You-Know-Who."  
  
"I know, when he's sleeping he looks just like another child. Lets hope Dumbledore doesn't notice how strong he really is, it would cause lots of questions. Does the Headmaster know something about the state Harry's in?"  
  
" No, I didn't know it myself, I just told him he had been gravely injured and you would want to keep him close."  
  
" Ok, we should get going." Sirius looked over to the two cages. " Ethan, do you mind getting Godric and Hedwig out of their cages? They don't seem to like it much in there." Ethan chuckled.  
  
" Harry has brought the two of them here?" He walked to the cages and opened them. The two birds flew out and circled once over Sirius and Harry, making sure their young master was just sleeping, and then left to the forest, probably to get something to eat. Sirius watched them disappear, shifting Harry a little and smirked.  
  
" He has not only brought those two." Charlie looked up at Harry's arm and saw his snake lying there.  
  
"Where's Echo?"  
  
" I think she's sleeping in one of his pockets." Charlie stood up brushing his robes and shacking his head.  
  
" Come on, lets get a move, Dumbledore probably knows you're here and is wondering what we are doing." Sirius nodded in agreement and they quickly made their way to the castle. Before Ethan could knock the large doors were opened by a much younger Minerva McGonagall.  
  
"Hello Ethan."  
  
"Hello Minerva, this is my friend Ryan Desclair and his godson Harry Danton.- Ryan nodded to his former professor.  
  
"Nice to meet you, ma'm." The witch looked him over and smiled slightly.  
  
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Desclair. Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you in his office. Follow me please." Before doing as the woman asked, Sirius turned to his young friend.  
  
"Could you please take care of Harry while I talk to the headmaster, Ethan?"  
  
"Of course Ryan." Sirius gently deposited the sleeping boy into Charlie's arms, he caressed his godson's check gently and kissed him on the forehead. Charlie watched somewhat amused to the ritual but didn't say anything about it. "We'll be in my room, ok? I'm sure someone will be able to tell you were to fin it."  
  
"That's fine, thank you." Sirius the followed McGonagall, who had been looking interested at the exchange. Sirius looked around, trying to spot the changes that had occurred in twenty years. The witch's voice startled him.  
  
"Mr. Desclair?" He turned to her somewhat startled.  
  
"You can call me Ryan, Professor... sorry, I didn't catch your name." She smiled at him again, Sirius personally thought he had never seen her smile so often, but didn't voice that thought.  
  
"I'm Professor McGonagall, I teach transfiguration and I'm the deputy Headmistress."  
  
"Ok, that's good to know. Now, what did you want to ask?"  
  
"What happened to Harry?" Sirius's expression hardened.  
  
"A month ago our old school was attacked by death eaters, lots of people died, I was away helping an old friend of the MoM and wasn't able to make it back in time. Harry helped in the fight as did other students, he was severely injured while trying to protect his friends. Actually he was just released this morning from the hospital."  
  
"I see, I'm sorry for bringing it up." Sirius smiled.  
  
"No need to be sorry, he's alive and in a few weeks he should be completely allright" They continued walking in silence till they reached the gargoyle standing before Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagall whispered the password and the statue jumped aside revealing the entrance to the headmaster's office. They climbed up the stairs and entered after knocking. The sight that greeted them was somewhat amusing, Dumbledore was standing in front of a perch that held two singing phoenixes.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's note: Thanks to Brita*chica on her quick review and her note on Charlie's name. 


	3. Talk with Dumbledore

Disclaimer: That's it, this is the last time I say it, I don't own these chapters (anyone guessed I hate Disclaimers?)  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
The headmaster was standing next to the two phoenixes looking somewhat surprised, an expression you weren't able to see often in the old man's face.  
  
"Albus? Where did this other phoenix come from?" The old man turned to the and smiled gently.  
  
"I have no idea, it just appeared a few minutes ago and has been singing with Fawkes since then." Sirius groaned and put a hand before his eyes.  
  
"Come on Godric, you can't just come in and start flirting with the headmaster's phoenix." Harry's bird looked at him. "Come on, go to Hedwig, I'm sure she's jealous." The phoenix went out of the window still singing. Sirius saw the headmaster looking at him curiously. McGonagall also noticed the look and stepped forward.  
  
"Headmaster, this is Ethan's friend, Ryan Desclair, he's here for the DADA position."  
  
"Thank you Minerva." The witch nodded and then left the room. Dumbledore walked to his seat and sat down, motioning for Ryan to do the same.- Pleased to meet you Mr. Desclair, I hope you had a good trip."  
  
"Yes sir, thank you."  
  
" Just out of curiosity, was that your phoenix?"  
  
"No, sir, it was Harry's "  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"My godson"  
  
"Right, Ethan told me about him, I assume he has come with you?"  
  
"Yes he has, headmaster, Ethan is taking care of him at the moment, the trip left him rather tired." Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Before we talk about him, lets talk about work, if you don't mind." Sirius nodded, he was eager to get this out of the way. "Can I see your records?" Sirius handed him the stack of papers that Dumbledore had given him earlier and waited patiently while the old man read the papers. Finally, after a few minutes, Dumbledore looked up and smiled. "Good, I think you will make a wonderful addition to our staff." Sirius sighed in relieve and smiled at the old man.  
  
"Thank you, sir"  
  
"You will have your quarters next to your office, there are all the papers you will need for your lessons. Now lets talk about Harry. I understand he's in your care, may I ask what happened to his parents?" Sirius's face grew dark and he looked out of the window.  
  
"They died a long time ago, in fact they were killed." Dumbledore studied the man sitting in front of him more carefully, it seemed he had a lot of ghosts in his past, but instead of letting them destroy him they had made him stronger.  
  
"I'm sorry about that" Sirius shook his head and smiled slightly.  
  
"Don't worry, as I said it was a long time ago." Dumbledore nodded and let the matter drop.  
  
"Now, how old is your godson?"  
  
"He's fifteen, he took his OWL's just before the attack, we don't know the results yet."  
  
"Do you want him to start his sixth year?"  
  
"Not yet, if you don't mind, the doctors said he needed lots of rest and I don't want him to exert himself with lessons, and besides it will take time to get used to this new school, as far as I've seen it's rather large while the school Harry used to go was very small. I would prefer he took five year lessons, just so he has something to do."  
  
"That can be easily arranged. He will be sorted in one of the houses at the beginning of the year. Have you heard about our houses?"  
  
"Yes, Ethan has told me about them in his letter, still I think it's better he stays with me, at least at the beginning." Dumbledore nodded in understanding.  
  
" Very well. One more thing though, does your godson have any other interesting pets?" Sirius smirked amusedly.  
  
"You mean like a fairy and a onega-boa?" Dumbledore looked at him with raised eyebrows.  
  
"That would qualify, yes."  
  
"He also has an owl."  
  
"Curious, he has pets usually are very hard to get, they don't easily trust grown up wizards, much lest young teenagers."  
  
"Oh, I know, but Harry has never been normal, he's very mature for his age and there's something around him that just compels you to trust him, you'll see also that those pets of his are very loyal, no one messes with the kid when they are around, they are even more overprotective then I am." Dumbledore laughed amused.  
  
"I look forward to meeting this young man" He then stood up from his chair. "Come on, I'll show you to your rooms." Sirius nodded and also stood up.  
  
"Thank you, but could we go to Ethan's room first so I can pick-up Harry?"  
  
"Sure." The two men walked out of the room and down the stairs, Sirius let Dumbledore lead the way although he knew of much quicker ways to get to where he guessed Ethan was staying. When they were finally approaching the room a dark blue streak of light passed between their heads. Dumbledore seemed a little alarmed at this and looked back, but whatever it was that had just passed it had already disappeared. He then turned to Sirius who was trying very hard to hid his amusement.  
  
"That was Echo, sir, Harry's fairy." Dumbledore shook his head and continued walking with a snickering Sirius after him.  
  
The door to Ethan's room was not closed so they just entered without knocking. Sirius saw Harry sleeping soundly in Ethan's bed while the older boy was reading a book in a chair next to him. Charlie looked up when they came in.  
  
"Hello Headmaster, hello Ryan, how did it go?"  
  
"Good, I got the job" Ryan and Ethan exchanged a secretive smile, but Dumbledore didn't notice, he was looking with interest at the young boy lying in the bed, he couldn't shake the feeling he looked rather familiar, and there was also a very distinct aura surrounding him that left him puzzled. Sirius noticed his look and narrowed his eyes, he couldn't let the headmaster start suspecting things about them. He calmly made his way to the bed and carefully lifted Harry out of it. Accommodating him so he was leaning against his chest and he would not be jarred while they walked, he turned to the headmaster.  
  
"We can go sir." He then turned to his friend. "Thank you for watching him, Ethan."  
  
"No problem Ryan, I'll see you tonight at dinner, ok?"  
  
"Ok" Sirius followed the headmaster once again through the hallways to the third floor where the DADA classroom was. They where nearing the office when Sirius felt Harry begin to stir.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's note: Thanks so much for all your reviews, I'm glad you liked the first two chapters, I'll update as quick as I can, ok? 


	4. The room (Silly title, I know)

Dangers in the past.  
  
Sirius stopped and looked down on his godson. "Harry?"  
  
The headmaster stopped and looked back at them.  
  
Harry knew before his godfather called him that he was being carried by Sirius; he actually was wondering why he wasn't in the hospital wing, because knowing Madame Pomfrey, it was virtually impossible for his godfather to have got him out of there without her making a fuss. Then he remembered where they where and why they were here. With a soft moan he opened his eyes and saw they were standing in the middle of a hallway with his head resting comfortably against his godfather's chest. He sighed and looked up at Sirius's laughing yet concerned eyes.  
  
"Had a good nap, kid?"  
  
Harry nodded with a small smile on his lips, then, for the first time, he noticed a younger Dumbledore standing near them. His eyes locked with the headmasters. Dumbledore was very surprised by the eyes of the child; they were bright green but had a sense of weariness in them that only older men should have. They were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, yet, they gave the boy a very mysterious touch. Finally, Dumbledore broke the gaze and smiled at the young boy.  
  
"Hello Harry, I'm Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts; I'm very happy to welcome you at our school."  
  
"Thank you, sir; it's my pleasure to be here." Dumbledore blinked a little put out. The child even spoke like a grown up. Although his voice has not change, it had a soft like tone that sounded like it was used to people listening to him but still had a childlike tone . He shook his head in confusion; that boy was certainly a riddle. Harry hadn't noticed the look of confusion that had crossed the headmaster's face because he had turned to Sirius and was talked to him.  
  
"Could you put me down, Ryan?"  
  
"When we are in our room Harry. Should we keep going sir?" The old headmaster nodded while Harry settled back in his godfather's arms with a sigh. As they were walked through the hallways, Harry was trying to fight back the memories that these same hallways gave him. It wasn't a place Harry liked much considering three of his five teachers had been death eaters out to kill him. Instead of stopping before the entrance of the classroom as Harry expected, Dumbledore lead them to a picture of a Phoenix.  
  
"This is the entrance to your rooms; I have changed them a little so you have separate rooms, a common room, and a bathroom. It opens and closes with the password: Voldemort." He looked for any reaction in his two companions, but there wasn't any.  
  
Harry, wondering what they were waiting for, looked at the headmaster and smirked, when he realized what the older man had been been waiting for. "If you are waiting for us to flinch or be horrified or something about that stupid name, you'll be waiting for a long time."  
  
"Harry! Don't be so rude!"  
  
The gentle admonish by Sirius made Harry blush. "Sorry, sir."  
  
Dumbledore laughed, happy to see there was still a child somewhere in there. "It's quite alright Harry; it's good to know that someone still remembers that a name holds no power. Let's go inside." The room was quite large and looked very comfortable. To Harry and Sirius's delight, it was decorated in Griffindor colors. There were several doors that led to the bedrooms and the bathroom. Their trunks were at one side of the common room before a large bookcase. There was a crystal table with some chairs, a couch, and some armchairs placed before a roaring fire. Sirius sat Harry down in one of the armchairs and went to look at the rooms. He returned shortly after.  
  
"Everything ok?"  
  
"Fine, thank you, Headmaster."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and looked at Harry, who was staring at the fire, petting his snake. "If you need something just call the houselves. Dinner will be at eight, but you can have it here if you prefer."  
  
"Very well, sir."  
  
"I'll be seeing you." With those last words, the headmaster left. After the old man closed the door, Sirius carried the trunks to the rooms. When he returned to the common room, Harry was half asleep on the couch, and Derek had left, probably to catch some dinner.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
The boy's head snapped up; he rubbed his eyes and looked at his godfather. "Yes?"  
  
"Can you stay awake long enough to eat something? I'll call the houselves."  
  
"Hermione would have a fit if she had heard you right now."  
  
Sirius chuckled and called the houselves through the fire. Several minutes later, a large meal appeared on the table. Harry stood up carefully, trying to maintain his balance, and slowly walked to the table; this time, Sirius didn't help him, but he was walking behind him, watching him like a hawk, ready to catch the boy if he fell. With a relieved sigh, Harry sat down in one of the chairs and looked at the food placed before him. It looked as delicious as ever, but he wasn't very hungry. Sirius helped him pick some things from the trays and then left to make his room ready for him to go to sleep. Harry was beginning to loathe this dependence on his godfather, but there was really nothing he could do about it; besides, it made him feel somewhat happy that Sirius was willingly doing all this for him. It was something no one had ever bothered doing.  
  
Half an hour later, Sirius reappeared. "Come on, Harry, bedtime."  
  
The teenager didn't argue; he stood up and leaning against Sirius they made their way to the room. It was a big room with a four-posted bed on one side, next to a big window. At the other side stood a dresser and a table with a chair. Sirius helped him change his clothes and tucked him in. His godfather sat down on the bed next to him and brushed some hair out of his eyes.  
  
"I'll be downstairs; call me if you need me, ok, Harry?"  
  
The boy nodded and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Sirius."  
  
His godfather smiled and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well little one." He stood up and walked to the door. Once there, he took out his wand and whispered, "nox." As all lights in the room went out, he quietly closed the door after him, knowing that Harry's pets had their own ways to come in.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's note: Thanks for all reviews. As of now, I'll be using the names Ryan and Sirius only talking about the old one. That will change till the young Sirius appears. And yes, Charlie is Ron's brother. Thanks to my beta- reader, Vinnie 


	5. Nightmares

Dangers in the past:  
  
In the Great Hall, all the teachers were waiting for the arrival of the new staff member. Ethan had told them Ryan would be coming but that he would probably be somewhat late. They just had decided to start without him when Sirius entered the room. He took one of the free seats that was between Ethan and a woman he remember as being the potions mistress of that time.  
  
Dumbledore stood up and all attention turned towards him. "My friends, I would like to introduce to you Professor Ryan Desclair, our new DADA teacher. We hope you'll stay a long time with us, Ryan, and that it will be a happy year for you."  
  
"Thank you, headmaster, I hope it too."  
  
Dumbledore nodded but still didn't sit down. "Ryan has brought his godson Harry Danton with him, and he will be joining the student body. He will be in fifth year and will be sorted with the first years. Now, you may notice the boy looks a little ill; he was injured in a Death Eater's attack last month at his old school and still is recovering. That's why he will be staying with his godfather until we think he's ready to join his house in the dorms." All teachers nodded in understanding and some of them sent Sirius sympathetic looks that he met with a small smile. Dumbledore sat down once again and motioned for everyone to start eating. The teachers readily did so and they began to talk between them.  
  
Ethan turned to Ryan. "Where's Harry?"  
  
"He ate in our room and now he's sleeping again; he was very tired." Seeing the worried look in the redheads face, he added, "don't worry, Ethan, he'll be fine."  
  
"I don't know, don't you think being here will be too much for him to cope with? I mean, in a few days, all students will return, including certain Griffindors we're supposed to protect."  
  
"I know, but it was his choice; we just will have to help him as much as possible." Ethan nodded in acceptance and changed the topic.  
  
They were all having desert when a dark blue streak of light flew into the Great Hall. All the teachers looked up curiously at the little being that had just landed before Ryan.  
  
The man looked at the fairy and frowned. "Echo? Is something wrong?"  
  
The little fairy nodded her head vigorously; she took a flock of his hair and began to fly towards the door, nearly knocking him out of the chair.  
  
" Ow, wait! Is there something wrong with Harry?" Echo turned to him once again and rolled her eyes as if saying he was being really dense, why else would she be there? "Ok, ok, stupid question, I'm coming would you please let go of my hair?" The little being looked slightly annoyed, but did as he had asked and flew away without waiting for him. Sirius shook his head mildly amused and stood up; he turned to the teachers, who wore looks of amusement and surprise, and said, "excuse me, I better go see what's wrong. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
The teachers nodded and some of them mumbled goodbye, but they were all still slightly dazed from what they had just seen. After Sirius had left, Professor Thunder, the teacher of Care of Magical Creatures, turned to Dumbledore. "You hadn't told us Ryan had a pet fairy, Headmaster."  
  
Charlie beat the headmaster and replied, "that's because he doesn't; Echo belongs to Harry."  
  
"That is not possible; you know as well as I do that fairies don't trust grown up wizards, let along a young boy."  
  
Ethan's answer was simple. "You have not met Harry yet; you'll understand when you do." Then Ethan stood up and smiled to them. "If you'll excuse me, it's been a long day." And he walked out of the room.  
  
Once Sirius had left the Great Hall he nearly ran to the room he and Harry were sharing. The moment he entered the room, he heard the sound of muffled sobs coming from Harry's room. Quickly, he entered and saw his godson sitting up in bed with his knees drawn to his chest, crying with his head on his arms. Behind him, on a perch beside the bed were Godric and Hedwig; they looked at him with concerned from their vantage point, Godric singing softly trying to comfort the young boy. Derek had claimed a place at the foot of the bed while Echo hovered in front of Harry, petting his head now and then. When Sirius entered the room, they all looked at him except for Harry, who didn't seem to notice his presence. Echo moved aside, sitting next to Godric and giving him space to comfort his godson. With two strides, Sirius was at the boy's side, sat down on the bed, and put his arms around the crying boy. He could feel Harry shivering and shaking, and he noticed for the first time that it was very cold in the room, and the blankets that had been covering the boy was on the floor. Quickly deciding what to do, he took a light blanket and wrapped it tightly around the boy's shoulders; then he lifted the child out of the bed and carried him to the common room, where a large fire was still blazing. He sat down in one of the armchairs with Harry sitting on his lap and began to comfort him.  
  
"Harry? Hush, Kid, everything is all right; I'm here. Please, tell me what's wrong, or else I can't help you." Harry didn't answer; he just buried his head in Sirius's shoulder and continued to sob while Sirius whispered reassuring words. Finally, ten minutes later, Harry stopped crying and just rested in his godfather's arms looking at the fire. The older man waited patiently for a while, stroking his head as he gently rocking back and forth; finally he spoke again, "tell me, Harry, what's wrong?" His voice was still gentle and comforting, but there was an edge that let Harry know his godfather wanted an answer.  
  
"I had a nightmare, about that day. I saw it all again, Voldemort trying to kill Ron, and then me fighting him." Sirius nodded in understanding; for the last few weeks, Harry had been having recurring dreams about that terrible night. Harry told Sirius about the dreams before, but never with any details. Even though he spared the details, Sirius knew the dreams had to be horrible, for they terrified Harry. Sirius knew that the only thing he could do when this happened was to sit with him till he felt asleep again, so that's what he did. For nearly an hour, they sat in silence, watching the fire and taking comfort in each other's presence. When Sirius noticed that Harry's breath had slowed down and that he had finally fallen asleep, he carefully stood up, with Harry still nestled in his arms. Sirius carefully stepped over Derek, who had fallen asleep next to the chair, and carried Harry to his room.  
  
When he returned, Sirius was very surprised to see the familiar figure of the headmaster standing in front of the fire. He quickly put a silencing charm around the room that would allow him to hear Harry, but not vise- versa, and then walked closer to Dumbledore.  
  
"Headmaster?" The old man turned and smiled. "How long have you been here, sir?"  
  
"I've been here for a while, I didn't want to intrude, just make sure Harry was alright."  
  
Sirius sank into the couch with a sigh. "Don't worry; he's ok for now. Maybe it's better you knew about the nightmares."  
  
"Does he have them often?"  
  
"Nearly every night, it's one of the reasons I want to keep him with me."  
  
"Understandable, are they from that attack?"  
  
Sirius nodded.  
  
They stayed in silence for a few moments, when finally Dumbledore turned and walked to the door. "Tell me if I can help you with anything, Ryan."  
  
"I will, thanks, sir."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and walked out of the door, a faint goodnight was heard through the closed door. Sirius stayed a few more minutes, looking at the fire that was beginning to go out. He finally decided he couldn't do anything else and went to bed, leaving Derek sprawled in front of the fire. Godric and Hedwig had gone out after Harry had fallen asleep once again and Echo was now sleeping next to the boy as she usually does.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's note: I really hope you liked this chapter, thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta reader Vinnie. 


	6. Meeting the teachers

Dangers in the past:  
  
It was early the next morning when Harry woke up, and after checking his watch and seeing it was barely six o'clock, he contemplated that it wouldn't be a good idea to go back to sleep. He stretched out and carefully stood up; he seemed to be more stable on his legs then he had been the day before, and he went out of his room to the common room. Once again, the houselves had started a fire that was now warming up the room that had chilled out during the night. Derek was now lying on the couch still sleeping, and Godric was perched on an armchair with his head under a wing. Harry quietly made his way to the bathroom and changed into a pair of black robes, he brushed his long hair and put it into a ponytail so it would stay out of his eyes, and finally put his contacts on. Happy with the way he looked, he went out once again to the common room and sat down in the couch. Without thinking about it, he summoned a book from the bookcase, without his wand or words. Wandless magic had become a second nature to him, although he always carried his wand; he didn't want people noticing him doing that. He took the book he had summoned and smirked at the title, it was called: Dark arts: What you need to know. He shook his head; he didn't need to know anything else about the Dark Arts, all he knew he had learned it fighting Voldemort and that had been the most effective way he could think of to learn it. Nevertheless, he opened the book and began to read it; he had noticed the day before that all the books on the bookcase were on dark arts and he doubted he would find something more interesting. Nearly an hour later, Sirius came out of his room, still looking half asleep.  
  
"Good morning, Snuffles."  
  
Sirius yawned and smiled lazily at Harry. "Good morning, Kid, have you been up long?"  
  
"An hour or so."  
  
Sirius took a closer look at the book his godson was reading and frowned. "Do you have to read those kind of books? You already know more about dark arts than I'd like for you to know." Harry rolled his eyes and closed the book.  
  
"No, I don't have to read those kind of books, but you might have noticed that all books in here are about dark arts."  
  
"We can go to the library later on today and pick up other books, books more suited for a fifteen year old."  
  
"Whatever. I'm hungry, can we have breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah, but we are going downstairs this time."  
  
Harry frowned. "But all the professors will be there."  
  
"Yes, and they want to meet you. Besides, Ethan is worried out of his mind about you; he kept asking if you were alright. You staying up here all day is not going to reassure him."  
  
" Ok, ok." Harry stood up and picked Derek up, waking him up.  
  
*Come on sssleepy head, time to wake up. *  
  
*What'sss wrong Young Massster? *  
  
*Nothing's wrong, Sssiriusss and I are going downssstairsss to have breakfassst, jussst wondering if you were coming. *  
  
*Of courssse. *  
  
Then Harry looked over at Godric, but seeing the bird was still deeply asleep and knowing he had probably just returned, Harry decided to let him sleep. He turned to Sirius and saw that he was looking at him with an amused expression. "What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. Come on, let's go."  
  
Slowly they made their way to the great hall, but half way there, Harry got dizzy and had to grip Sirius's arm for support. The older man quickly gripped Harry's arms in return and looked down in concern at his godson's pale face.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy. Man, I hate this; it's frustrating not being able to walk long on my own."  
  
"I know, Kid, but you know there's nothing you or I can do about it, else you know I would."  
  
"I know, Ryan, I know. Don't worry about it."  
  
"Do you want me to carry you?"  
  
Harry frowned, disgusted with himself, but finally sighed and nodded. "You better do, else we'll arrive there for lunch instead of breakfast." Sirius laughed softly and lifted the slight form of his godson into his arms. Harry was grateful they hadn't run into anyone on their way down. When they arrived at the door that led to the Great Hall, Sirius put him down and wrapped an arm around his waist to support him. With a reassuring smile to his godson, Sirius pushed open the doors and led the boy inside. He made his way to the only table that was there right now, the head table. Not all the teachers had arrived yet, but the headmaster was seated there and smiled gently at them.  
  
"Good morning, Harry, Ryan, please sit down."  
  
Sirius let Harry slide into one of the chairs and sat next to him. "Good morning, everyone." Harry just nodded and pretended to look around the Great Hall in awe, while in reality, he was looking at the teachers that were gathered around the table. He knew most of them; they just looked a lot younger then he remembered. He turned his attention to Dumbledore when he talked.  
  
"Harry, these are going to be your teachers while you stay at Hogwarts." The headmaster began to introduce them to him. Professor Flitwick smiled happily at him, McGonagall gave him a small smile while Binns just ignored him; Harry wondered what he was doing down there if ghosts didn't eat. What surprised him the most was the big, happy smile Professor Jackelle, the potions mistress, sent him. She was a slender woman, probably in her mid- thirties and she didn't look pale nor bitter like Snape always did. It was a big change, after having had Snape for five years straight to now have this woman seemed heaven. Someone ruffling his hair, pulling nearly all of it out of the ponytail, interrupted his thoughts. He looked up a little annoyed but brightened when he saw Charlie looking down at him.  
  
"Good morning, Harry, how are you feeling?"  
  
"Morning, Ethan, I'm feeling fine, thanks. It's just that Ryan had to carry me downstairs for most of the way"  
  
"Don't worry about it, Harry. I'm sure in a few weeks you'll be breaking havoc again."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, but his attention was drawn to his snowy owl Hedwig. She landed before him, letter tied to her leg. Harry took it and paled slightly at the sight of the official looking letter; it seemed that Dumbledore had found a way to sent him his OWL's results.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's note: Sorry if you think chapters are short, I don't really have much time right now. But I promise I will make them longer in the future. Thanks for all reviews.  
  
Thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	7. Letters

Dangers in the past:  
  
"Harry?" The boy's head snapped up and saw all the teachers looking at him. His godfather put an arm around his shoulders. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, it's just the headmaster sent the OWL's results."  
  
"He did? That's nice of him"  
  
"It's not! What if I did horrible?"  
  
Sirius laughed softly. "Kido, you know you did fine; at most you'll have flunked potions, but that wouldn't be very surprising considering that that slimy git hates you. Come on, open the letter."  
  
With a sigh Harry did as Sirius said and read the letter. After he had read it, his eyes were huge; he couldn't believe what he had just read. Sirius looked at Charlie worried and then turned his attention back to Harry. "Harry? Is something wrong?"  
  
Harry shook his head and a large grin began to spread through his face. "I can't believe it."  
  
Sirius carefully took the letter from Harry's stunned hands, he read it, and a look of amazement crossed his face before being replaced by a large grin. With a cry of joy he stood up and swung Harry up into his arms for a large bear hug, nearly killing Derek, who had been looking curiously from Harry's arm.  
  
Ethan rolled his eyes at his friends' antics and picked up the forgotten letter. "You two are insane, let's see."  
  
All the teachers were now looking expectantly at him, curious to know what all the raked was about. After reading the results, Charlie looked stunned at Harry who was still in Sirius's arms and loudly asked. "How on earth did you manage to get 14 OWL's?"  
  
Harry laughed happily and shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea, my best guess is that all the nagging of Herm finally paid of."  
  
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, that's probably right. Man, I wonder how many OWL's Ron got. Isn't that his handwriting?"  
  
Harry looked at his owl and saw there was another letter he hadn't noticed. Shaking his head, he stepped out of Sirius's arms and slid into his chair, a wave of dizziness passing through him. He didn't notice the teachers looking at him with a slight stunned expression nor Dumbledore reading his OWL's results; his attention was simply centered on his best friend's letter.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I got 13 OWL's!!!! Can you believe it? Percy is pissed that I got more than he did, he can't understand how it's possible I got so many. Frankly, I don't understand either. I'll have to think of something nice to thank Hermione, are you in? Mom's very proud of me, I got a whole set of new robes. The twins sent their best wishes to you; they have finally started on their shop, even if mom is still not happy about it. The headmaster has told us where you, Ethan, and Ryan are; I hope you're having fun and for God's sake, could you try to stay safe, even if it's for a little while? You really need your rest. Tell Snuffles that if he doesn't take good care of you my mum's going to hurt him badly, you know she's a tad overprotective of you. You can write normally to us, the headmaster will make sure we get your letters. Be careful and don't get into You-Know- Who's way.  
  
Your friend,  
  
Ron.  
  
Harry laughed at the letter; it was good to know that after everything that had happened, his friend had stayed the same, a little more protective, mind you but the same nevertheless. Ethan looked at him with a smile, all teachers had started on their breakfast and were talking about different things.  
  
"Hey Harry, what does my baby brother say?"  
  
"That Percy is angry."  
  
Charlie's eyebrows shot up. "Percy? Calm, collected Percy? Why? What did the twins do?"  
  
"Nothing, the twins didn't do anything this time, it's just that Ron got 13 OWL's, one more than Percy."  
  
Charlie laughed hard, imagining his younger brother's disappointment at being beaten by the lazy, rule-breaking Ron. "Ugh, Percy's pride sure will be hurt after this one. What else does he say?"  
  
"Your mom's happy with Ron and the twins are starting the shop."  
  
"Really? I still wonder were they got the money for it." He looked at Harry's 'innocent' face and narrowed his eyes. "Say Harry, you wouldn't happen to know where my little brothers found a million galleons, would you? Specially since someone we know just happened to win so much money in a certain tournament."  
  
"Me? I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Ethan."  
  
"I'm sure you don't. Just make sure my mother doesn't find out."  
  
Harry grinned at him. "I'll heed your warning."  
  
"Good, does he say anything else?"  
  
Harry nodded and turned to his godfather. "Hey, Ryan, Ron asked me to give you a message from his mother."  
  
Sirius looked up from where he had been talking with Flitwick. "What is it?" Seeing the smirk in his godson's face he rolled his eyes. "Do I even want to know?"  
  
"She just said she's going to hurt you if you don't take care of me." An evil smirk passed through his face. "You'll have to be careful, you wouldn't want me to complain to her; Ron's mom is terrifying when she's angry."  
  
"Are you going to blackmail me, Little One?" A smirk identical to his godson's crossed Sirius's face. "Where did you learn to be so nasty?"  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't know, it's not like I hadn't had a good teacher, did I?"  
  
"I'm insulted." Then, with a swift motion Harry hadn't been expecting, Sirius picked him up from his chair, sat him on his lap and began to tickle him. Harry's bright laugh rang through the Great Hall making the teachers smile at the boy.  
  
"Stop! Ryan, please."  
  
Sirius went on about it for a little while longer before stopping; he then held Harry close to him, letting him regain his breath. When the teenager had calmed down, he snuggled closer to his godfather and smiled happily.  
  
"Seriously, Harry, tell her not to worry, I'm taking good care of you, aren't I?" His question had sounded a little nervous and Harry wrapped his arms around his neck reassuringly.  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
Sirius smiled, kissed his godson's forehead and put him once again in his chair. Pointing to his empty plate he asked. "Shouldn't you eat? You said you were hungry."  
  
Harry nodded and began to eat.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews.  
  
Thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	8. Talking with McGonagall

Dangers in the past:  
  
After breakfast Sirius announced that he was going to Diagon Alley to get some things for him and Harry. His godson agreed to stay with Ethan till he returned. The first thing the two boys did was go to the library; Harry wanted to pick up some books that wouldn't upset his godfather. Madame Pince agreed to send the books to his room later and Harry walked away with Charlie. They went for a short walk on the grounds because Ethan insisted that Harry needed to get some fresh air after having been locked up for so long. Half an hour later, Ethan carried Harry back to his rooms, he settled him in the couch and left to do some things around the castle. Harry picked one of the books Madame Pince had sent up and started to read, with his pets perched around him. It hadn't been long since Ethan left when a soft knock startled him. He looked up, wondering who it might be, Ryan and Ethan didn't need to knock since they knew the password. Shaking his head, Harry stood up and slowly walked to the door, he opened it and was surprised to see Professor McGonagall standing before him. Wondering what she wanted, he stepped aside to allow her in.  
  
"Professor?" The witch had been staring at the snake that was wrapped around his neck, his voice seemed to jolt her out of her thoughts and she moved inside. Harry closed the door and turned to look at the woman who was now looking around the room. "Is something wrong?"  
  
She turned to him and gave him a small smile shaking her head. "No, nothing's wrong, its just Ethan wanted me to check up on you."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes at his friend's protectiveness and then made his way back to the couch. He picked up the book he had been reading and closed it. He then sank into the couch motioning one of the armchairs to his professor. "Have a sit, Professor."  
  
The woman did so, being careful to not wake Echo up, who was sleeping on the arm of her chair. She looked at the book the boy had been reading and raised an eyebrow. "Sixth year transfiguration? I thought Ryan didn't want you to take sixth year courses."  
  
Harry smiled. "Yes, I know, but I need to have something to read that won't upset Ryan." Seeing the questioning look on his teacher's face, he elaborated. "My godfather was a little upset when he found me reading one of his books on Dark Arts this morning, so I dragged Ethan to the library to pick some other books; I guessed school books would not upset him."  
  
"I don't think it will. The headmaster asked me to ask you what courses you'll be having."  
  
"I guess I'll take all the regular curses, it won't matter if I need to miss some." After thinking some more he added, "could I change my electives, at least it won't be completely boring."  
  
"Sure, I don't see why not. You'll have to talk to Ryan about it, but I don't think he will mind. Which electives did you have in mind?"  
  
"Aritmancy and Ancient Runes."  
  
"Why don't you take Muggle Studies?"  
  
Harry's face hardened. "I was raised by muggles."  
  
His voice had such a cold edge that made McGonagall shift with a little apprehension. She thought he may have something against muggles; the boy didn't seem one to be in all that nonsense about pure bloods but one never knew in this times.  
  
"Harry, can I ask you something?" She felt his piercing stare move to her, it was much like the look Dumbledore could give you and it made her feel uncomfortable.  
  
He seemed to notice this and looked away. "Ask away, Professor."  
  
She drew in a deep breath and asked. "Do you have something against muggle- borns?" She looked up at him and saw him looking shocked, then he laughed softly.  
  
"Of course not! My own best friend is muggle-born, whatever gave you that idea?"  
  
McGonagall sighed in relief; glad she had not misjudged the boy. "Sorry, but by the way you just said 'muggles', I thought you might have something against them."  
  
"Not muggles in general, but it's no secret that I loathe my aunt and uncle; that's why I said muggles that way."  
  
"I see. Can I ask why you don't like them?"  
  
Harry shifted in his seat and looked out of the window, he seemed to be remembering something and Minerva thought he wasn't going to answer her. When she was about to change the topic, he talked.  
  
"My mother was muggle-born and she had a sister that considered her a freak, a loser. It didn't help that her parents thought it was great to have a witch in the family. My mother's sister married a man who hated everything and everyone that was different, out of normal, as they would say. They had a son and were perfectly happy. Not once did they acknowledge my mother's existence, not that she really cared about it, Ryan tells me she really could care less about what her sister thought about her, they had never had a chance to grow close. When I was one my parents died, it was written in their will that they wanted Ryan to take care of me if something happened to them, but there were problems and the headmaster thought I would be better off living with my relatives than with my godfather. He was wrong. They were forced to take me in but that's all they did for me. I slept in a cupboard for ten long years; I was nothing more than a freak who had no rights, they also never told me I was a wizard." Harry sighed and looked back at McGonagall, who was wearing a horrified expression on her face. "I never even knew about Ryan until my third year. This year, finally, the headmaster gave his consent for me to go live with him, but then the attack happened." He then shook his head as if chasing away unwelcome thoughts. "It doesn't matter anymore, I'm happy to be here now and they are not worth for me to feel bad about what they did."  
  
After a few moments of silence, McGonagall spoke in a soft voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."  
  
"It's ok, I prefer not to think about it but I don't mind bringing it up from time to time, it helps me realize how lucky I am to be with Ryan." Harry then yawned and stood up. "If you don't mind I'm going to take a nap. Don't worry about me, if something's wrong Echo will go look for Ryan or Ethan." Without looking back to where his professor was sitting, Harry disappeared into his room followed closely by Godric.  
  
Minerva stayed in the room deep in thought; Ryan and Ethan had been right, the boy was special, there was something about him that reminded her of Dumbledore, but she couldn't pinpoint it. Maybe it were those green eyes of his, when he had looked at her; she had felt very unnerved, like he was able to find out every thing about her if he wished to. She nearly jumped out of her seat when Ryan's voice called her. She turned around and saw him standing at the door with several packages in his arms.  
  
"Minerva? Is something wrong? Where's Harry?"  
  
"Don't worry, nothing's wrong. Ethan had things to do and asked me to keep an eye on Harry; he's in his room, he said he wanted to take a nap." Ryan nodded and put the packages on the table. "I think I might have upset him." Ryan looked at her questioningly. "He told me about his aunt and uncle when I asked why he didn't take muggle studies."  
  
She saw Ryan's face harden, his dark blue eyes shone with anger. "Those bastards." He then shook his head, letting his anger disappear as soon as it had come. "Don't worry about Harry, he's a strong boy." Nevertheless, he walked to his godson's room and peeked inside. The boy was sleeping peacefully, he must have felt pretty tired for he hadn't even bothered to remove his shoes, and just collapsed on the bed. Sirius entered the room silently, he took a blanket from a dresser and he carefully covered Harry up. Gently, he kissed the boy's check making him stir a little and then left the room closing the door behind him.  
  
Minerva was starring pensively at the fire, she turned around when she heard him close the door.  
  
"Is he sleeping?" Ryan nodded and sat down. "You know, it's strange; sometimes Harry reminds me of Dumbledore."  
  
Ryan looked up sharply, with a slightly strained voice he asked, "in what way?"  
  
Minerva didn't notice the strain in his voice; she was once again lost in thought. "I'm not sure, maybe it's the eyes, when I was talking to him he looked like he knew all about me and could find out whatever it was he wished to know."  
  
Sirius chuckled relieved; while she didn't start to think about Harry's power, they were safe. "I know that look, it's very unnerving, but you get used to it after a while. It's just the unusual color he has."  
  
Minerva shook her head, she knew it weren't only his eyes what unsettled her, it was much deeper then that. It was the feeling she had when he was near her, a feeling she only got when she was near the headmaster himself. She decided to let the matter slide, after all Ryan didn't know Dumbledore and wouldn't be able to understand what she was talking about.  
  
"Well, if you don't need me, I'll be going."  
  
"Ok, Minerva, thank you for watching Harry."  
  
"That's ok, I didn't mind."  
  
Sirius watched with relief when McGonagall left the room. She had been very close to finding out one of the many secrets he wished to keep for himself. He would have to talk to Ethan, it was better if none of the teachers came too close to Harry, his power levels were slowly starting to raise to what they once were and the teachers would soon be able to sense it without a problem.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews.  
  
Thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	9. Death Eaters

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Sirius had sat down in the armchair for quite some time after McGonagall left, thinking of ways to keep the truth from his fellow teachers. He suddenly realised it was lunch time, he decided it would be better for him and Harry to keep to their rooms, besides, Harry usually wasn't in a very good mood when he was woken up. Sirius went to the fire and called the houselves, asking them to bring lunch upstairs. He then went to Harry's room, the boy was still sleeping peacefully, he almost felt sorry for having to wake him up. Gently he grasped his shoulder and shook him a little, calling his name. After a minute or so Harry finally stirred and groggily opened his eyes.  
  
"Mmh?"  
  
"Harry, it's time for lunch, you can sleep again after you've eaten something if you want to." Harry though seemed to be very comfortable where he was and decided to just ignore his godfather. He closed his eyes again and snuggled deeper into the blanket that covered him. Sirius sighed, he wasn't about to give up without a fight. "No Harry, don't go to sleep again, you really need to eat something." He waited patiently for his godson to get up, but when he didn't even stir, Sirius just yanked the blanket away and picked Harry up, out of his bed, effectively waking him up. "Now, if you could stop ignoring me sleepyhead, we can have lunch." Harry snuggled his head against his godfather's shoulder while he was carried to the common room.  
  
"Don't want to eat with the teachers, it's weird acting like I don't know them." Sirius sighed.  
  
"We are not going downstairs, we are eating here."  
  
"Ok." The houselves had already left the food on the table, Sirius put Harry down in a chair and handed him a plate.  
  
"Here you go." After having picked up some food for himself he sat down opposite from his godson. They ate in silence for the most part, Sirius was continually shooting Harry concerned looks, it was hard for him to accept that the boy that sat before him was the same he had known for the last two years. Since the fight with Voldemort Harry had become more withdrawn, he didn't like to talk if he wasn't talked to first and had found refuge in books, a thing he had never done before as far as he knew. When they finished eating, Sirius stood up and walked over to Harry, he gently took his chin into his hand and turned his godson's face towards him.  
  
"What's wrong child? You're very quiet"  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Kido, don't lie to me." Sirius's voice was still gentle but it had adopted a stern edge, Harry sighed and answered.  
  
"I was just thinking about the Dursleys." Sirius let go of his face and scooped him up into a hug. Harry buried his head into his godfather's chest and talked again. "Sometimes I think I deserved being with them." Harry felt the hug tighten and was sorry to have told Sirius that, it was one of his most privet thoughts and he hadn't planned on telling his godfather. If he had stayed at the Dursley's Voldemort wouldn't have come back and a lot of lives would have been saved. Even if he had ended up saving the wizarding world of Voldemort again he could not help but think about all those who had lost their lives in the fight. He really didn't deserve to be with Sirius, and get comforted like this while so many others were suffering, with that thought in mind Harry tried to get out of Sirius's arms but the older man didn't loosen his grip on him.  
  
"Why do you think that Harry? No one deserves to go through that, specially you." But Harry didn't hear his last words, he was listening intently, he could hear shouts coming from the halls. Before he could tell Sirius, a shearing pain passed through his head and concentrated on where his trademark scar was. He was lucky that Sirius was still holding him, else he was sure he would have collapsed on the ground. Through the pain, he could hear Sirius calling his name frightened, but he couldn't muster the strength to answer him, he was sure that if he opened his mouth he would start to scream. For a while he was completely oblivious to his surroundings, he was just in a sea of pain, he kept his eyes tightly closed and concentrated hard on keeping on breathing. Suddenly he heard something, it was a warm sound that was driving the pain away. He concentrated on this new sound and soon he found he could open his eyes again, the first thing he noticed was that the shouts had become  
stronger, they were nearly drowning out the sound of his singing phoenix. He became aware that he was laying on the couch and Sirius was no longer in the room. Suddenly everything made sense, somehow through his connection with Voldemort he knew death eaters had entered the school. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, he stood up and ran out of the room and into the hall, he needed to make sure Sirius was alright. Godric was now flying after him, Derek had appeared at his side and Echo was perched on top of his head, hanging onto his hair for dear life. After a few more turns he saw the fight. The first thing he saw was that Dumbledore wasn't there. The teachers were overwhelmed, even with Ryan's and Ethan's help things weren't going good. They were fighting against 30 death eaters, but the problem came from the big basilisk that was helping the black robed men. The teachers were trying to fight the death eaters while keeping out of the beasts way and most important, his eyes.  
Harry decided quickly on what had to be done. He turned to Derek who was looking at the battle and softly hissed to him.  
  
"Derek, pleassse, go help the teachersss."   
  
"Can I poissson thossse bad men, massster?"  
  
"That'sss exactly what I want you to do." The snake nodded it's head and slid out of view. Then Harry turned to Echo.  
  
*Echo, please, confuse the death eaters, ok?*  
  
*Sure young master.* The dark blue fairy smiled reassuringly at him and flew away. Harry noticed the basilisk was not very far away from them now and smiled grimly.  
  
"Well Godric, it's you and me against big meany over there. Think you can do something about the eyes before it kills someone?" Noticing the snake had cornered Flitwick, Harry sprang into action. "And do it quickly."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. 


	10. Basilisk

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Harry looked at the basilisk with a grim determination, for them to win the fight someone had to kill it, and since the death eaters hadn't noticed him yet he seemed to be the right person for the job. With a sigh he summoned the Griffindor sword, Dumbledore had given it to him as a gift last Christmas, he knew no one else could handle the sword and he didn't see a reason for Harry not having it. With a sigh he steeled himself and in a loud voice he started to hiss to the big snake.  
  
"Over here little sssnake, leave him alone and come play with me."  
  
The basilisk and Flitwick both turned to face him. The little professor was wearing an horrified look on his face, no doubt he thought he was dark and was ordering the snake around. But Harry didn't mind him, since the snake took the bait and lunged at him the next moment. Harry, having been expecting this, jumped out of the way and Godric flew past him to were the snake had come to an abrupt stop. While the basilisk tried to bite the phoenix and Godric tried to hurt the snake's eyes, Harry quickly made his way to where professor Flitwick laid sprawled on the ground. Quickly he picked him up, glad that he was so thin, and ran around the corner out of the way of the basilisk and the death eaters. The professor didn't say anything he merely starred at him like he had gone crazy.  
  
"Could you please stop gapping at me?" Harry put Flitwick on the ground and kneeled next to him. He looked him over quickly and noticed his wand arm seemed to be broken, after making sure nothing else was wrong he put his hand on the professors arm and told him. "This may hurt a bit." A soft glow formed around his hand and then spread to his professors arm making the man flinch when he felt the light putting his bone in place and healing it. With a sigh Harry let his arm drop and leaned against the wall. "There done, it's as good as new, but be careful with it for a while, it could still hurt a little." The professor nodded and in a squeaky voice said:  
  
"Thanks Harry."  
  
"You're welcome." The boy pecked around the corner and sighed again. "We should get going, you need to help the other teachers and I need to go help Godric with the basilisk" Seeing his professors concerned face he added "Don't worry I've dealt with this kind of things before, good luck" And with those last words he dashed out of the hall they were hiding in watched by a slightly bewildered professor Flitwick.  
  
When Harry neared the snake and the phoenix he drew out the sword again. He immediately saw Godric had done his part of the job, the only thing that has stayed from the snake's eyes was a bloody, unseeing mass that couldn't hurt anyone. Now the phoenix was flying around the snake, keeping his attention out of the fight so he wouldn't attack any of the teachers. With a sharp whistle he called Godric back, also effectively attracting the snakes attention. Even if the basilisk couldn't see him, he could smell him. Without a second thought he plunged in the direction of the boy and Harry was forced to dodge. The beast and the boy began a mad dance through the hallway, Harry always keeping track of the direction they took as to not get into the middle of the death eaters fight. Finally, half an hour of dodging later Harry saw an opening. Without a second thought he plunged the sword in the snakes throat killing him at the same instant. He didn't have much time to contemplate the  
way he had killed the basilisk since he was forced to move out of the way of the collapsing body.  
  
Harry sighed and leaned heavily on the wall behind him, he was now sweating profusely and panting hard, his robes were hanging limply around him, matted by his own sweat and the basilisk's blood. Tiredly he drew a hand through his hair, brushing some strands of it out of his face and trying to fight the dizziness that had overtaken him. He felt somewhat comforted when Godric's warm weight landed on his shoulder and his vision cleared once more, thankfully he petted his phoenix and the bird sang a soft and comforting tune. He then turned his head around and noticed for the first time they had ended fairly near the professors. The teachers had now the upper hand in the fight and the death eaters were being hard pressed to keep up with them, having remembered to late they couldn't apparte out of Hogwarts. Some of them had collapsed due to the bite of a poisonous snake, Harry knew without a doubt it had been Derek, while others had been rendered unconscious by the teachers. A  
sudden shout ran through the hall.  
  
"Minerva!" Ethan's cry made Harry look up. He saw it all happen in a slow motion. McGonagall had just stunned a death eater and was trying to catch her breath when Ethan cried out. She quickly turned around and saw one of the remaining death eaters point a wand to her. Charlie had started to run towards her the moment he had called, but he knew he wouldn't arrive on time. Minerva was frozen in her place when she heard the words she had feared the most in all her live.  
  
"Avada..."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Please don't kill me for the cliffanger, it was such a good place to stop. Sorry if it's a bit short. Thanks for all reviews. 


	11. Wandless magic

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
"Avada Kedavr..." Before the black robed man had the chance to finish the curse, he was thrown into a wall with such strength that it crushed his skull. Minerva and Ethan looked startled around to try to find out who had saved the witch and saw Harry. He was leaning against a wall with a dead basilisk at his side and his hand stretched out in the direction of the death eater. Minerva looked amazed from the big snake, to the dead death eater and back to Harry. She looked the boy over carefully and saw something in his eyes that frightened her. They were like a green fire, roaring with a strength and power she had only seen in Dumbledore. Ethan too had noticed the look, but he wasn't so surprised by it, he had seen it before. He was far more worried about the way Harry was leaning against the wall. The boy looked about to collapse. He was also very worried about Ryan's reaction when he found out his godson was out here instead of being safe in his room. The man was way to  
overprotective of Harry.  
  
"Shit, Ryan's going to have a fit." Minerva looked at him surprised.  
  
"Why?" Charlie snorted.  
  
"You don't know him very well, he wont like that Harry is out here."  
  
"Ethan, that boy just killed a basilisk and a death eater, and you're worried about what Ryan's going to say about Harry being out of his rooms?"  
  
"Yes. Believe me, he has quite a temper when Harry puts himself in danger and this sure qualifies. He'll be pissed of at the poor boy, I wouldn't like to be in his position." Minerva shook her head in wonder and looked around. All death eaters had been subdued and were now being tied down by the teachers. Professor Sinistra had gone warn the ministry and tried to get a hold of Dumbledore who had left on business about the order of phoenix after breakfast. Ryan and Danielle were watching the death eaters, while Hagrid and Sprout looked for their wands. Minerva's attention was attracted to one of the corners of the hall, she saw something moving there. Before she could come closer to inspect it a snake came out and moved towards Harry, she saw it climb up his leg till he was perched around his arm. The boy gave the snake a tired smile and his pet closed it's eyes. Harry's little fairy flew down to his shoulder, opposite from Godric and hugged Harry's neck with her little arms.  
Minerva was startled out of her thoughts when Ethan put a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Come on Minerva, lets take Ryan's place on watching the death eaters so he can tend to Harry. Danielle can then take a look at the basilisk, I'm sure she will want to use some of it's parts as potion ingredients." The witch nodded and together they made their way to the other two professors.  
  
"Ryan" The older man looked up at his friend with a tired smile.  
  
"Hey, are you ok Ethan? You Minerva?"  
  
"We are fine, thanks to Harry." Ryan looked up sharply and paled. He roughly grabbed Ethan's arm and looked at him intently.  
  
"What do you mean? Where's Harry?" Ethan, hardly fazed by his friend's anger, pointed to where the young boy was leaning against the wall. Ryan let go of his arm and angrily began to stalk to were his godson was. Ethan, seeing what was going to happen grabbed Sirius's arm and sharply turned him around.  
  
"Ryan, if you're going to start shouting at the boy then you better stay here and let me take care of him."  
  
"Ethan..."  
  
"No, listen to me. We both know you have a bad temper and that you'll say things you don't mean to. Harry is exhausted by the looks of it, anything you say out of line he might take it very bad. He just killed a basilisk and a death eater saving the lot of us, the last thing he needs right now is you starting to shout at him. Keep your lecture till he has rested somewhat."  
  
"Oh, ok." Still Ethan didn't let go of him, he was looking him intently in the eye.  
  
"I mean it Ryan" The older man nodded and Ethan finally nodded back and let him go. He turned slightly to the death eaters, still keeping a watchful eye on Ryan who was now walking to his godson.  
  
Harry looked up when he heard someone approaching. He had just been gathering his strength to try and return to his room but it seemed that was no longer necessary. He looked back down, waiting for his godfather to reach him and steeled himself for a harsh lecture. Sirius paused for a while at his side, Harry supposed he was trying to keep his temper in check. He was slightly startled when a gentle hand lifted his face and he was forced to look at his godfathers stern and yet concerned face.  
  
"Are you ok, kid?"  
  
"Fine, just tired." His voice was very soft and Sirius could easily hear the exhaustion leaking through it, it drew away all the anger he had felt and was now replaced with a great amount of concern. Without caring about his robes he picked up his godson into his arms, making Godric and Echo fly up. Sirius felt Harry lean his head against his shoulder and sneak an arm around his neck. After giving a last glance at the basilisk Ryan walked around it and went to his room with the phoenix and the fairy flying after him.  
  
Once in their rooms Sirius quickly walked to the bathroom and stripped Harry out of his bloody clothes. With the boy still in his arms he prepared a warm bath and put his godson in it. Noticing the lethargy Harry had fallen in, he began to bath him cleaning all the blood he had on his body. Half an hour later, Sirius put him out of the bath and wrapped him in a large towel. After having dried him up he put him in some of the new pj's he had bought that morning and went out of the bathroom ready to put his godson in bed. A soft knock on the door stopped him in his tracks. With a resigned sigh he went to open the door and saw professor Flitwick and Danielle standing in front of him. They both looked weary at Harry, irritating Sirius with it.  
  
"What do you want?" His voice was cold and sharp, it held a clear warning: stay away from Harry. Danielle shifted nervously under the man's glare.  
  
"We are having trouble removing the sword your godson used to kill the basilisk, we can't go near it and the ministry will be here soon to take the snake away. We thought Harry would like the sword back."  
  
"Sword?" A look of understanding passed through his face. "Oh, right, wait a second." Sirius turned his head to the boy who was practically sleeping against his shoulder. It really was a shame to have to wake him, but he knew no one else would be able to take the sword out. Sirius shook his godson lightly. "Harry." The boy's eyes snapped open and his head left the man's shoulder. Harry looked around confused, he felt very tired, like he would be able to sleep for years. Finally, not noticing anything wrong in the room, he looked at his godfather who was still holding him.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"They need you to remove your sword." Harry frowned, not understanding what his godfather was talking about. The only thing he wanted to do right now was lean against Sirius again and go to sleep. Unfortunately Sirius wouldn't let him do that. "Harry, listen to me for a second, then you can go to sleep. We need you to call back your sword, the one you used to kill the basilisk, remember?" Harry faintly remembered killing a big snake with the Griffindor sword. If that was the sword Sirius was talking about why didn't he say so? To tired to think about it he summoned the sword to his hand and leaned back against his godfather, hopping he had done what they expected from him. The two Hogwarts teachers were looking at the sword in awe. It looked very ancient, incrusted with robins and emeralds. Sirius only glanced at the sword long enough to make sure the man engraved in the blade was not visible to his companions, then he turned his attention to Harry again.  
  
"Very good child, could you now put it away in your trunk?" Without moving, Harry did what he was told and the sword vanished again amidst a gold light. Sirius turned to his fellow professors. "Anything else?" They both shook their heads and turned to go. Before Sirius could close the door Flitwick turned to him.  
  
"Ryan, did you know Harry was a parselmouth?" Sirius's face darkened and he gripped Harry more tightly, causing the boy to squirm a little in his grasp. In a careful controlled voice he answered.  
  
"Yes, I knew. And be happy he is, the fact that the only other parselmouth besides Voldemort is against him has saved lots of lives, including yours." The little professor smiled and nodded. He seemed to be feeling more comfortable when he turned around and left the room. Sirius finally was able to close and lock the door and went to Harry's room, as light as his godson was it was tiring to hold him for so long. Sirius tucked the sleeping Harry in in the dimmed bedroom, he kissed his forehead gently, smiling fondly when the boy stirred a little and then motioned to Echo to warn him if Harry woke up and left the room.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. I have to say that the death eaters who attacked were those of the past not the ones of the future, they will act up later. The basilisk was not the one of the Chamber of Secrets, I don't want to go into time paradoxes. How Harry beat Voldemort will be explained in two or three chapters, promise. 


	12. Explanations I

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
After Sirius left Harry's room, he went to his own room to change his robes, he needed to go see how things were going with the death eaters, and most importantly, how much the teachers had been able to figure out from Harry's stunt. Seeing the hall had been cleaned up and no one was left there he made his way to the teachers common room. When he entered he saw nearly everyone was there, they seemed to be waiting Dumbledore's return while talking softly to each other. Everyone looked up when he came in, some of them smiling at him, Ethan called him from the corner where he was sitting on his own and Sirius headed to him ignoring the eyes everyone held on him. With a tired sigh he let himself sank into the chair next to Charlie's and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"How's Harry doing?"  
  
"You were right, he's completely exhausted. While I was washing him up it felt like I was washing a doll, he was just sitting in the tub limply, not reacting to anything. I wish we could break the link he has to Voldemort and his death eaters, then he wouldn't know when there are attacks, he seemed to be in so much pain this evening when the attack began."  
  
"Harry wouldn't want that, you know how he reacted when the headmaster suggested to him to drink sleeping potions so he wouldn't dream about You know who's attacks. Harry went ballistic, I've never seen him that angry."  
  
"Yes, I know, but this wasn't good for his health then and it isn't now either." Charlie nodded.  
  
"Maybe you should let Madame Pomfrey check him over, just to be on the safe side."  
  
"Yeah, I think I'll ask her." He sighed. "Harry wont be happy about it." Before Charlie could answer their hushed conversation was interupted by Dumbledore storming into the room. The old wizard stood at the door looking sharply around, checking if everyone was alright. Finally, a few minutes later he seemed satisfied and he talked in a soft voice, as if trying to calm terrified children.  
  
"I need you to tell me what has happened, but first I want everyone that is in the castle at the moment to come down here. Please Minerva go get Poppy, Danielle, go warn Sybil and Ryan go fetch Harry." The three professors stood up and left the room. Sirius was quite irritated with the headmaster, he didn't want to have to wake Harry up now he was sleeping, the child needed his rest. When he entered his godson's room and saw him sleeping peacefully he decided not to wake him up. Sirius put some robes over his godsons pj's and wrapped him in a light blanket. Carefully he lifted him up into his arms and left the room followed by Harry's pets. Hedwig had joined the group with a letter tied around her leg, he would have to remind to tell Harry about it later. When he entered the teachers common room he saw Danielle hadn't returned yet. He took his place next to Ethan and settled Harry into his lap so his head was leaning against his chest. No one seemed to have said anything  
while he had been away. Dumbledore was nervously pacing the room, now and then petting either Fawkes or Godric, who had joined the headmasters phoenix on his perch. Hedwig on the other hand had preferred to stay on Sirius's shoulder with Echo. Derek was looking around from Harry's arm. Sirius's head snapped up when Danielle returned with a much younger divination professor. Finally, after everyone had sat down Dumbledore sunk into his larger chair and looked at the staff.  
  
"Ok, what happened?" Adrian Thunder, the teacher of Care of Magical Creatures was the one who started to talk.  
  
"Ethan and I were walking through the wall on our way outside when a section of the hall opened and death eaters started to come in. We were taken by surprise and didn't have the time to warn anyone. We were very lucky nearly all teachers were near, close enough to hear the shouts when the attack started. We started to fight them and the other professors joined us. Finally, when Ryan came we seemed to have the upper hand, but then a basilisk came out. We didn't stand a chance, we were overwhelmed since no one seemed able to get near the snake to kill it. We were losing badly when..." He stopped suddenly and looked apologetically at Dumbledore. "I think it's better if someone else continues, I know what happened but I didn't see it myself." Dumbledore nodded in agreement and everyone in the room turned to Flitwick.  
  
"I had been fighting a death eater but was drawn away from the other teachers. When I finally stunned the death eater I was cornered by the basilisk. I knew it was going to kill me but then I hear another hissing sound. I turned to look and saw Harry standing there and I realised he had been the one hissing, I deduced he was a parselmouth. The boy was just standing there smirking with a sword in his hand. i thought he was trying to get the snake to kill me." The small professor looked apologetically to Sirius who was holding Harry closer to him. "But then, to my surprise, the basilisk lunged at Harry and then I understood that had been his plan all the time, because behind him was his phoenix who engaged the basilisk in a fight." After that Flitwick explained how Harry had got him out of the way and how he had been looking at the fight instead of going to help his fellow professors and then how Harry had finally killed the basilisk. When he finished Dumbledore was looking in  
wonder at the sleeping boy.  
  
"Let me get this straight. This 15 year old boy killed a 10 foot basilisk with only a sword and a phoenix?" Sirius rolled his eyes and Charlie snorted softly, but the other teachers nodded. Minerva then cut in.  
  
"That was not all he did, he also saved my life from a death eater." She then explained to Dumbledore how Harry had crushed the death eater who had nearly killed her. By the time she had finished her tale everyone was looking at the boy in awe. Nearly no one had noticed the death eater and what had happened so it was new for them too. Dumbledore looked at Harry carefully as if trying to see through him but not being able to. Then the headmaster looked up and noticed Ryan and Ethan wore annoyed expressions and Ryan was drawing Harry even closer to him, but neither were surprised.  
  
"Ryan, are this kind of things normal with Harry?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Sirius heard Charlie shift nervously next to him but he didn't shift his gaze from Dumbledore's.  
  
"I mean if it's normal for Harry to do things as kill a basilisk or fight death eaters. Not many teenagers could pull that of and keep their cool like he seemingly did, specially in front of a basilisk."  
  
"Harry has killed basilisks before, he did it the same way as today so I guess he wasn't very intimidated by it. Besides he's a parselmouth, he has never been afraid of snakes."  
  
"What about the death eaters?" It wasn't Ryan's voice who answered the headmaster, it was Harry's soft and tired voice.  
  
"When you have duelled against Voldemort himself and lived to tell it, death eaters are just a piece of cake."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. 


	13. Explanations II

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
The room was left silent after Harry's last statement. Dumbledore noticed Ryan had gone deathly pale and had tightened his grip on his godson. The young boy looked concerned at the man who was holding him.  
  
"Snuffles" Ryan shook his head and tried to smile a little at the boy. Harry seemed to understand that his godfather didn't want to talk about it and sighed. Dumbledore on the other hand needed to know what had happened.  
  
"You duelled against Voldemort? What happened to make a 15 year old fight against the Dark Lord?" Once again it was an unsuspected voice who answered. Ethan's face was hard a faraway look in his eyes like he was remembering something. The headmaster had told them to tell his past self all they could about the battle against Voldemort without giving to much away so his past wouldn't get suspicious of them and stop trusting them. Of course Charlie would be forced to change the ending.  
  
"My youngest brother is Harry's best friend and for some reason the Dark Lord wanted to kill him" Of course Charlie knew it was because that would hurt Harry, but if he said that he would draw to much unwanted attention to the boy. "While everyone was fighting, trying to protect the school and the younger students, Ron, Harry and their friend Hermione got separated from the rest and You-Know-Who took his chance and attacked them. They were surprised and Ron was easily rendered unconscious. The Dark Lord wanted to take him with him but Harry stood in his way and refused to let him go near my brother. I've heard they duelled for a while, You-Know-Who probably found it amusing, but while they were at it Hermione took her chance and took Ron back inside the school where he would be protected. The Dark Lord was furious, he shot the killing curse to Harry, who was already pretty beaten up and left, taking his death eaters with him. Luckily Harry had been able to duck just in time,  
making the curse struck a wall behind him and causing it to collapse on top of the boy. For a long while we thought he was going to die but luckily he's a strong lad and he pulled through it." Charlie smiled sadly at Harry remembering what really had happened.  
  
Flashback:  
  
Charlie had just stunned a death eater when he saw Hermione dragging Ron into the castle. The older boy frowned, he didn't see Harry with them and he somehow doubted the teenager was already inside. Suddenly he heard a cry of fury and whirled around to see a furious Voldemort looking down at a bruised Harry. The boy was smiling slightly, seemingly amused at his enemy's fur. Charlie shook his head out of his own amusement, Harry was in great danger and there was no one around to protect him. He started to walk in the direction of the two combatants, trying to pass unnoticed by them and noticed Dumbledore doing the same. They both stopped short when they heard Voldemort shout the killing curse. Harry, with his quidditch reflexes, ducked out of the way, a slight smirk framing his features that soon turned into horror when he noticed Sirius was standing behind him battling another death eater, oblivious to the other fight . Luckily he was not the only one who had noticed what  
was about to happen. Remus saw the green light speeding towards his friend and with a speed only a werewolf could manage sprang headfirst into his friend, knocking them both to the ground and rendering them unconscious. Then Voldemort started laughing his horrible laugh and Charlie saw it, he saw it inside Harry's green eyes. Something awakened within him, a power born of the fury and helplessness he was feeling at the moment. The ground began to tremble under them, the wind picked up and the rumble of thunder could be heard, quickly approaching. Charlie was frightened, he could feel the power radiating from his young friend down to his bones, it was terrifying, filled with fury. The redhead quickly made his way to where the headmaster was rooted on his spot looking amazed at the kneeling boy. Voldemort wasn't laughing anymore. Harry slowly stood up, a golden aura forming around his body, his eyes were now bright green and had golden sparks in them. Almost lazily Harry rose  
a steady hand to the air, Charlie noticed he wasn't holding a wand in it and wondered what the boy was planning to do. Suddenly his question was answered when a golden light began to concentrate in the boy's hand. When the ball was around the size of a tennis ball Harry made a sudden, harsh movement and flung it to Voldemort. It seemed the Dark Lord had been frozen in place for he only watched the light approach him without moving from his place. The golden ball entered his chest but seemingly didn't do anything else. Charlie looked confused at the headmaster, who was looking expectantly at Harry, as if waiting for something to happen. Then Harry's strong voice boomed through the school grounds, making the wind pick up even more and stopping everyone on their tracks to look at what was going on.  
  
"DIABLO!" Voldemort seemed to burst with a golden light, forcing everyone to close their eyes. After a few minutes, Charlie was able to see again and paled at what he saw. Voldemort was still standing on his spot, all the power Harry had just displayed had been for nothing.   
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Don't worry, the flash back isn't finished yet, but it was such a good spot to stop, sorry if someone doesn't appreciate it. Thanks for all reviews. 


	14. Explanations III

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Charlie was suddenly terrified, he had expected to see Voldemort blown to pieces and by the way the Dark Lord was looking at his hand he had been expecting the same. Voldemort looked up and laughed.  
  
"It seems whatever you were trying hasn't worked, Potter!" Charlie looked at Harry and was startled to see his friend smiling, he turned to the headmaster and saw understanding crossing his features. Voldemort looked at the boy in front of him, still a little unsettled by the great power that surrounded the boy, he rose his wand ready to end the duel once and for all before Harry came up with another trick. Charlie took a step to his young friend but the headmaster stopped him. Before he could ask what was going on Voldemort shouted the killing curse. The redhead waited anxiously to see the familiar green light that would end the boy's life, but nothing happened. Frowning, Voldemort tried again but not even a spark of light came out of his wand. Realisation started to go through the Dark lord's face. He quickly picked up a wand that had somehow been thrown at his feet and tried again. Nothing. Voldemort took a step back, looking horrified at Harry.  
  
"You! You didn't..." He was shaking his head, trembling from head to toe, he seemed to be terrified at what was happening. Then Harry laughed making the ground tremble some more.  
  
"You really don't think I consider you important enough to taint my hands and soul by killing you, do you, muggle?" Voldemort took another step back, stumbled and fell on the ground. Finally Charlie understood. Harry, being Harry, had refused to kill anyone, not even the Dark Lord, physically at least. He had just ended everything that Voldemort was, he had ended his power, leaving behind Tom Riddle, a simple muggle man. He was not the only one who understood. All death eaters began to run away, chased by ministry wizards and aurors, while the teachers and students began to cheer and celebrate Voldemort's demise. Dumbledore finally moved, rushing to Harry's side while four aurors walked to Voldemort and put the full body bind on him and while two stayed with the ex-Dark lord, the other two joined Dumbledore at Harry's side. The boy had now closed his eyes and was slumped against the headmaster, all his power had retreated once again into his body, leaving an exhausted boy  
behind. Dumbledore put strong, comforting arms around him and stroked his hair gently.  
  
"Sir?" Dumbledore looked up at the two aurors.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What will we do with him?" One of the aurors asked pointing at Riddle. "We can't put him in Azkaban, the dementors would help him get out again." Harry tiredly opened his eyes and tugged at Dumbledore's sleeve, making the headmaster bend over him. The boy whispered something into the old wizard's ear and then Dumbledore did something Charlie hadn't seen him do for quite some time. He laughed. It was a bright, amused laugh that rang through the grounds getting everyone's attention. The aurors looked slightly bewildered from Dumbledore to Harry, who had a soft smile on his lips.  
  
"Sir?" Dumbledore pushed down his amusement.  
  
"Sorry, Harry suggested we put him in St Quentin." The two aurors looked at each other in confusion. One of them finally asked.  
  
"Isn't that that high security prison on an island?" Dumbledore looked at them calmly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But it's for muggles!" Harry looked up at them from where his head was resting against the headmaster's chest and smiled.  
  
"And isn't it just the perfect place for our little Tommy?" Both aurors grinned, understanding dawning on their faces.  
  
"It will all be arranged sir." The two aurors saluted and then walked away, already discussing all the protections they would need to put on the muggle prison. Dumbledore looked down at the child resting in his embrace.  
  
"Time to go sleep Harry." Before the boy had a chance to look up, Dumbledore had already put a sleeping charm on him. The headmaster let the boy slide down to the ground, carefully making sure he didn't hurt himself and then conjured a stretcher under him and covered him with a blanket he just summoned as to keep him warm. The old wizard turned to Charlie who had been watching intently and smiled tiredly at him. "Mr Weasley please, take care of Sirius and Remus." And without another word the headmaster left walking next to Harry's stretcher.  
  
End Flashback.  
  
Charlie shook his head to clear his thoughts and smiled at Harry. The boy's eyes were dropping again, the injuries he had got that day had weakened him a great deal. The boy smiled back but returned his attention to Dumbledore when he talked.  
  
"Thank you for telling us this Ethan." He then turned to Harry. "You are a very brave young man Harry. Not many grown up wizards would have faced Voldemort to protect their friends." Many of the teachers nodded and smiled at him making him blush. Ryan was now looking him with a proud yet concerned face. Dumbledore talked again. "Ok, I have to go talk with the Minister. You all should go rest, it has been a long day." The staff nodded and started walking out of the room after Dumbledore had gone away. Ryan, instead of going out, made his way to Madame Pomfrey with Harry still nestled in his arms.  
  
"Madame Pomfrey?" The friendly nurse turned around and smiled.  
  
"Yes? Can I help you, Ryan?" Sirius nodded with a smile of his own.  
  
"I would appreciate it if you could have a look at Harry, just to make sure he's alright." Harry groaned but Sirius and Poppy ignored him.  
  
"Of course, dear. Come with me." The three of them made their way to the hospital and the nurse motioned to the beds.  
  
"Lay him down in one of those, I'll be back in a moment." She went to her office, closing the door, probably to get her things ready. Sirius laid Harry in a bed next to a window, his pets, who had been trailing behind, settled around them. The boy looked at his godfather annoyed.  
  
"Don't I spend enough time in here as it is?" Sirius shifted a little nervously under Harry's glare.  
  
"I know kid, I just want to make sure you're alright, you looked pretty out of it this evening." Harry decided no to answer the last statement and Sirius changed the subject. Looking at Hedwig he saw the letter again. "Hedwig has brought you a letter, Harry." Sirius helped his godson sit up in bed and handed him the letter. It was from Hermione.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I hope you're doing alright, I got 16 OWL's, Ron told me you got 14, congratulations. Guess what, the headmaster is sending us to where you are, we will pose as exchange students, isn't that cool? I think he wants as many people as possible in there, so don't be surprised if you see more known people. Things around here are very calm now, it's pretty boring, I can't wait till we get there, we'll also be in fifth year to keep you company and to help watch Lily and James. I have to go now, say hello to Ryan and Ethan for me, I'll see you in a few days.  
  
Love, Hermione.  
  
Harry smiled happily and looked at his godfather.  
  
"Ryan! Did you know Ron and Hermione were coming here?" Sirius looked a little shocked and then smiled.  
  
"I had no idea, but it will be good to see them again." Harry nodded and yawned just when Madame Pomfrey returned. She ordered him to lay down and began to check him over. Harry felt himself getting drowsy by her gentle prodding and by the time she was finished he was fast asleep. Madame Pomfrey turned to Ryan.  
  
"He's exhausted, his energy levels are very low, I suggest you keep him in bed till term begins and even then I want him to take things slowly. Oh, and give him this potion two times a day, I'll make Danielle give you a batch, it's a strength restoring potion. Understood?" Ryan nodded and then grimaced.  
  
"He won't be happy, he already thinks he has spent more then enough time in bed." Poppy laughed.  
  
"Don't worry, that's the usual reaction with teenagers.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. 


	15. Lecture, meeting and sorting

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
When Harry woke up the next morning he was back in his room, the sun was streaming through a window letting him see it was early morning. The boy started to sit up but all his muscles were sore causing him to hiss in pain. That battle with the snake had not been fun, it had nearly crushed him two times and then all the remaining energy he had, had been spent on killing a death eater. Harry finally was able to sit up, he was a little dizzy but tried to ignore it. He looked around and saw he was alone, his pets had probably gone to get something to eat. He swung his legs out of bed, intending to get up when a stern voice stopped him.  
  
"And where do you think you're going young man?" Harry turned and swallowed nervously, Sirius was leaning against the door, an extremely stern expression on his face.  
  
"Er... To the living room?" Sirius shook his head and left his place near the door.  
  
"No, you're not, you're going to get into that bed again and stay there for a long time. After that stunt you pulled yesterday you have earned yourself the privilege to stay in bed till term begins." Harry was only mildly shocked at the news, he had been expecting something like that. Even though he knew he tried to protest.  
  
"That's not fair!" Sirius scowled darkly, apparently all the anger he had suppressed yesterday had returned full force.  
  
"Look Harry, I may not be able to punish you for putting yourself in danger yesterday, after all you saved our lives, but I will not allow, under any circumstances, you to play with your health that way. Madame Pomfrey says you need to be in bed and I say that too. You will obey me. Is that understood?" Harry looked down.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Now get in bed." Not wanting to anger his godfather more than he already had Harry laid back down and looked as Sirius left the room saying he was going to get his breakfast. Sirius brought the breakfast the houselves had prepared for Harry and looked as the boy ate in silence, propped up against some pillows. When he finished, Sirius had calmed down a great deal, he took the tray away and gave the boy a purple potion.  
  
"Drink this." Harry looked at the potion with apprehension but took it from his godfather's hand nonetheless. After he had swallowed it he made a face and Sirius took the cup. He looked at his godson intently and the boy nervously returned his gaze.  
  
"Listen Harry, I'm sorry for having been so harsh before, but you scared the hell out of me yesterday. First I find out you have put yourself in danger by coming out of your room after you had just collapsed in pain and after that seeing you not even able to wash yourself up didn't really help to calm me down. I know you want to help, and you do a great job doing it, but what would happen if you had fainted out there? You are not up to fighting now, you need to built up your strength, not wasting it even more." Harry listened intently to the words, looking at the quilt that laid over his bed.  
  
"I'm sorry." Sirius looked him over carefully and calmly stated.  
  
"You don't mean that." Harry blushed but refused to look at his godfather. Sirius sighed. "I can understand why you're not sorry Harry, some of us could have died if you hadn't helped us. But I don't like the little contempt you have for your own life." Sirius moved to sit on the bed and lifted the boy's face so he was peering down into his godson's green eyes. "Harry, I love you more than anything in this world and I don't like seeing you hurt. I want you to promise me you will be more careful and wont go fighting death eaters if it's not absolutely necessary."  
  
"I'll try, and I'm sorry for worrying you." Sirius looked at him a few moments and then nodded in acceptance, seeing the boy was sincere this time. Sirius hugged Harry tightly and then kissed his forehead before standing up. Harry laid down in bed and Sirius tucked him in.  
  
"Try to sleep now, you must still be awfully tired. If you get bored there are a few muggle books in one of the drawers, I don't want you to read any school books that could tire you out." Harry nodded and curled up inside the blankets he looked as Sirius walked to the door and then turned around and talked again.  
  
"Harry, don't let me catch you out of bed, else you're going to be confined into this room for a long time, is that understood?" He didn't say it unkindly, but his eyes told his godson he meant every word. Harry nodded.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Sleep well." And after that he went out and closed the door, leaving Harry alone. It didn't take long for the boy to slip into sleep again.  
  
At September the first Sirius woke Harry up from the nap he was taking after having had lunch.  
  
"Come on Harry, get dressed, the students will be arriving in an hour." Harry smiled excitedly, he would finally meet his parents and he would be seeing Ron and Hermione again. He stood up and quickly got dressed in the black robes, thankfully he wasn't getting tired as quickly anymore, maybe all those nasty potions Sirius had made him drink had helped, not that he would ever admit it to his godfather. He went downstairs with Echo perched on his shoulder, Derek had chosen to stay in his room, afraid of crowds, and Godric and Hedwig were no where to be seen. To his surprise he saw professor McGonagall standing there instead of Sirius.  
  
"Good evening, professor." She smiled kindly at him.  
  
"Hello Harry, the train has just arrived, the students will be here in half an hour, lets go." Harry nodded and followed Minerva downstairs to a room he recognised as the first one he had seen upon his arrival at Hogwarts five years ago. The professor entered and he followed, by now he was panting slightly and was a little unsteady on his feet but thankfully not as bad as a week ago. He saw Hagrid had already brought the first years in and he looked around looking for his friends, leaving the teacher's side. Suddenly he was taken in a big hug from behind. The arms loosened a bit, allowing him to turn around and he found himself looking down at Hermione's bushy, brown hair. He smiled gently at her, returning the hug, he must have grown quite a bit since last time they saw each other because she was now nearly a head shorter than he.  
  
"Harry! We have missed you so much! How are you doing?" His smile widened and she let go of him.  
  
"I'm fine Hermi." he was then gathered in another hug, this time the person hugging him was taller than he was. "Hello Ron." The boy let him go and the three smiled at each other, happy to be together again.  
  
"It's good to see you again, mate." Professor McGonagall finished her speech, which the three friends had been ignoring and then made her way to where they were standing.  
  
"You are the new exchange students?" Ron and Hermione turned around and smiled a little nervously at her.  
  
"Yes we are, professor." the woman nodded and smiled slightly at them.  
  
"I'm professor McGonagall, and I teach transfiguration. I just wanted to tell you, you are going to be sorted after the first years, you too Harry." The trio nodded and followed behind the first years when they all left the room. When they arrived at the great hall they stayed back, waiting for the first years to be sorted. Harry looked curiously around, his gaze immediately going to the Gryffindor table. Then he saw him. Everyone had been right, if he hadn't left his hair long and got contacts James Potter and him could have easily past as twins. From the place he was standing he couldn't see his eyes but he knew they were bright blue, one of the only differences between them. His father was sitting next to a much younger looking Sirius. He nearly didn't recognise his godfather, this young version wore short hair, much like James's. He had a slight tan, he was muscular and well built, and nowhere as thin and pale as his godfather was. It was a rather shocking seeing him in  
such good health, Ryan had never totally recovered from Azkaban. Harry shook his head and looked at the girl sitting next to James, leaning her head on his shoulder. She had bright red hair, much like the Weasleys, she was quite small for what he could see. He felt tears prick in his eyes, without doubt he was now looking at his mother. He was quite startled when Hermione put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and she smiled sadly, she had been also been looking to where he was.  
  
"Harry, are you sure being here is a good idea?" Harry nodded his head violently and softly replied.  
  
"Yes Hermione, don't worry, I wouldn't have wanted to miss this chance for nothing in the world." Hermione nodded her head, she didn't seem very convinced but just squeezed his shoulder. Ron was also looking at the marauders.  
  
"Man, Sirius and Remus sure look different." Harry shifted his attention to the brown haired boy sitting next to Sirius and saw Ron was right. Remus was looking much healthier, his features were filled out and he didn't have dark rings under his eyes, he was just clapping enthusiastically with his friends at the new first year who had been sorted into their house. His gaze moved to the boy sitting next to Remus. His face darkened and he clenched his fists. Hermione noticed it and quickly moved her hand to his arm, softly whispering his name. The boy, as if sensing someone was looking at him, turned his gaze to the door and Harry quickly moved his gaze noticing his friends doing the same. He heard Ron mutter.  
  
"Damn Scabbers." Harry couldn't help smiling slightly. He's smile vanished when he heard the last first student being sorted in Ravenclaw and the Dumbledore stood up and announced.  
  
"This year we have three exchange students, their school was attacked a month ago by Voldemort and it has been impossible to reconstruct it so soon so this three students are going to attend Hogwarts for at least this year." The old headmaster sat back down while Ron, Hermione and Harry made their way to where McGonagall was standing.  
  
"Hermione Grand!" The girl stepped forward and put the hat on, sitting down.  
  
'Well, well, what a surprise, I wasn't expecting a time traveller, you and your friends seem to be here in a very important mission.' The hat didn't talk for a while, it was probably looking at her thoughts. 'Very important indeed. Well lets see, you have a great intelligence, you are very bright and like to study, Ravenclaw would fit you nicely.' Hermione's face hardened and she scowled. Determinedly she thought.  
  
'No, there's no way you are putting me in Ravenclaw'  
  
'And why not?' The hat seemed amused at her answer.  
  
'I'm a Gryffindor and like it that way, I only study because I'm curious not to get good points like a Ravenclaw would. Besides I get into to much trouble, they wouldn't appreciate me being in their house.' The hat seemed to consider this and finally sighed.  
  
'Are you sure about it?'  
  
'Absolutely.'  
  
'Ok.'  
  
"Gryffindor!"  
  
Hermione stood up, a small smile of relieve framing her face, she walked up to the gryffindor table but stopped a few moments when she passed her friends.  
  
"The hat is trying to put us in other houses, it knows we are from the future, be careful." she had said it in a whisper and the two boys nodded sombrely. She continued walking and took a sear in front of Remus, who smiled lightly at her before turning his attention to the sorting.  
  
"Ron Surley" Ron bend over Harry and whispered.  
  
"Wish me luck." Harry smiled at him as Ron put the hat on his head.  
  
'Hello there, my boy.'  
  
'Hello'  
  
'Your friend was very demanding, I hope you wont put such a fight.'  
  
'Don't count on it.' Ron wasn't sure but he could have sworn the hat had sighed in his head.  
  
'Lets see...' Ron decided to talk before it got to far.  
  
'Don't bother, I'm a Gryffindor and I don't want to be put in any other house.' He paused for a second but then curiosity won over. 'I'm curious, which house would you have put me in?'  
  
'You're very loyal, Hufflepuff would fit you nicely.'  
  
'Hufflepuff?' Ron's voice was amused. 'I don't think so, I miss the part about hard working.'  
  
'I guess you're right, Gryffindor then?'  
  
'Yes.'  
  
"Gryffindor!" Ron sighed put the hat down and when he passed Harry on his way to Gryffindor table he whispered.  
  
"Hermione was right." Harry sighed when he was called. He walked up to the hat and put it up reluctantly.  
  
'My, my, my, you're a difficult one.' Harry cut the hat's ranting.  
  
'If you're thinking on putting me in Slytherin, forget it, I will now been put in that house.'  
  
'Whoa, calm down, I was not only thinking in Slytherin, I mean you would be ok there, you are certainly have a great need to prove yourself and a certain disregard for rules. But you're also very smart making you good for Ravenclaw and loyal putting you in Hufflepuff and finally you have got a great amount of bravery that would make Gryffindor perfect for you. I can't really decide.'  
  
'You don't need to, I'm perfectly happy in Gryffindor.' Harry's voice, though firm, sounded a little dazed at the discovery he would fit in the four houses.  
  
'Why are the three of you even being sorted? You just tell me where you want to be put in, and done accept any variation of it.' Harry could tell the hat was quite annoyed with them but at the moment he didn't care.  
  
'Well, we can't really tell Dumbledore we are Gryffindors, so you get the honour of sorting us again.' The hat snorted in his head.  
  
'That's hardly an honour, my boy.' Nevertheless it said:  
  
"Gryffindor!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Well it certainly is longer, hope you like it. Thanks for all reviews. 


	16. Meeting the marauders

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Author's notes: From now on Sirius will be the young one and Ryan will be the old. If at any moment I change it I'll warn you.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Harry put the hat down and then walked to were his friends were sitting. He sat between Ron and Hermione and saw he was now facing his future father, who was smiling at them. He felt a rush of emotions rush through him, the most prominent being longing. He longed to be held by his future parents. Hermione put a hand on his knee under the table and he realised he had been starring. Blushing a little he looked away and locked his gaze with Sirius, the boy was nearly gapping at him. Feeling uncomfortable under the teens gaze, Harry looked down. Sirius opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Dumbledore standing up.  
  
"Now everyone has been sorted I would like to introduce to you our three new teachers." Harry frowned in confussion and looked at Hermione mouthing.  
  
"Three?" The girl leaned to him and whispered.  
  
"Remus came with us, he will be teaching ancient runes." Harry nodded and smiled at her. Then he looked at the table and immediately spotted the man. Dumbledore motioned for the new teachers to stand up and introduced them to the student body.  
  
"These are Ethan Surley who will be helping professor Thunder with, Ryan Desclair who will be teaching DADA and Daniel Moon who will take Ancient Runes." All students applauded out of respect, curiously looking at the three men sitting together. "Now, tuck in." All students smiled and began to get the food. Harry looked up and saw that now not only Sirius, but also James, Lily and Remus were starring. He exchanged a look with Ron and Hermione and nervously asked.  
  
"Is something wrong?" The four teenagers were a little startled but shook their heads and Sirius spoke.  
  
"No, nothing, we were just wondering if you're related to James." Hermione cut in.  
  
"Who's James?" Sirius silently pointed at the boy sitting next to him. Ron looked at him and decided to give Harry some time to collect himself.  
  
"Uau, Harry, he looks just like you. You never told me you had any relatives." Harry smiled slightly at Ron.  
  
"Don't be silly, you know I don't have any. I guess it's just coincidence." He then smiled at James.  
  
"Hello, my name is Harry Danton, I'm in my fifth year." James returned the smile, shaking himself out of his reverie.  
  
"I'm James Potter, one of the gryffindor prefects. These are my friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew and this is my beautiful girlfriend Lily Evans, we are also in our fifth year." Lily laughed and punched James lightly on his shoulder. Harry smiled softly, happy to see his parents getting along so good.  
  
"Are you not going to introduce us, mate?" Harry looked a little startled but quickly smiled.  
  
"Sorry. These are my best friends Hermione Grand and Ron Surley." Everyone exchanged greetings, the trio trying to ignore Peter as good as they could without appearing to be too obvious. While they talked Ron and Hermione noticed Harry was very quite. Now and then they shot him concerned looks but luckily the marauders didn't notice. Finally Dumbledore dismissed them to bed. All students stood up following their prefects to the common rooms, but Harry didn't move.  
  
"Harry?" The boy looked up at them, he had a slightly dazed look on his face.  
  
"Yeah?" Hermione frowned while the marauders waited for them.  
  
"Are you coming?" Harry shook his head.  
  
"No, I'm staying with Ryan, remember." The marauders shoot each other questioning looks but Ron and Hermione nodded. Before they had a chance to reply the three new teachers had made their way to them. Ryan and Ethan greeted Ron and Hermione warmly while Daniel did the same with Harry. Then Ryan turned to the marauders an unreadable expression on his face. He was a little shaken up at seeing James standing before him. With some effort he produced a small smile and said.  
  
"Hello, you're the marauders, right? The teachers have told us all about you." The teenagers smiled mischievously at him.  
  
"I'm sure they were exaggerating." Sirius exchanged a grin with James but Daniel said.  
  
"I'm pretty sure they are not." The teenagers didn't answer. Ryan turned to Harry, who had once again gone silent. He looked his godson intently, slightly frowning.  
  
"Well, we'll see you all tomorrow. Come on Harry, lets go back to our room I want you back in bed." Harry nodded his head, knowing better than to protest he stood up.  
  
"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Everyone nodded and they bid their goodbye's with Ron and Hermione following the marauders out of the hall.  
  
"Hermione?"  
  
"Yes, Lily?"  
  
"Why isn't Harry going to stay with us?" Hermione told her about what happened and the girl nodded in understanding.  
  
"I see, but why with professor Desclair?"  
  
"He's Harry's godfather." Lily once again nodded and they all entered the common room.  
  
All the way up to the room Harry stayed silent, in his mind he replayed once and again the meeting with his parents. In between them he saw flashes of his parents deaths. He was so centred in his memories he barely noticed someone had picked him up and was now carrying. Out of instinct he put his head on the person's shoulder and shivered slightly, seeing a flash of green light and an horrible laugh. He tightly closed his eyes and gripped the robes of the man carrying him, barely he didn't have Ryan's long hair.  
  
"Harry, are you alright?" Daniel tightened his grip on the teenager noticing his shivering. After Harry had nearly walked against a wall two times he had decided to pick the kid up. Harry didn't notice him talking or at least he didn't react to his voice, he seemed to be completely lost to the world. Daniel sighed and looked up at Ryan's concerned gaze. Ethan had already left them and they were now nearly by their room. Ryan sighed also and motioned to the door.  
  
"Lets go inside." Daniel nodded and he carried Harry inside leaving it to Ryan to close the door. He sat on one of the armchairs, he adjusted Harry on his lap and saw the boy's face had relaxed, he held his eyes closed but Daniel doubted he was sleeping. Ryan appeared from one of the rooms with a set of pj's in his hands. Gently he took Harry from Daniel's arms and carefully started to change his clothes. The natural way he was doing that made Daniel frown. When Harry had been a baby Ryan had been very clumsy in changing the kid, but now he did it with ease, even if Harry was much bigger. That could only mean he had had to do it quite often and it made Daniel wonder if it really was such a great idea to have Harry here so soon after the battle, he had barely had the time to recover. When Harry was dressed in his pj's Ryan made him drink a light sleeping potion, just to make sure he would sleep through the night and then carried him to his room noticing his other pets were  
already there. Ryan waited in there till he was sure Harry was sleeping and the joined Daniel in the living room. They had arranged it with Dumbledore so they would be sharing the rooms. It was to make sure Harry would have someone around most of the time if it was needed. Daniel looked at Ryan as he sank in his seat and smiled.  
  
"That was quite weird, I had nearly forgotten how you looked when you were fifteen." Ryan snorted.  
  
"Look who's talking. You have also changed a great deal my friend."  
  
"Not as much as you." They stayed quite for some time, till Remus broke the silence. "Is he going to be ok?" Ryan sighed.  
  
"I don't know Moony. It was very hard for me to see James and Lily again, I don't want to think how hard it is for Harry."  
  
"He shouldn't have come."  
  
"I don't know, he saved our lives five days ago. And Dumbledor said he had a right to choose." Daniel didn't look like he agreed but didn't say anything about it. He stood up and stretched out.  
  
"I'm going to bed. Two nights ago it was the full moon and I'm still tired." Ryan nodded but then frowned.  
  
"How are you going to do it here? I mean you can't go out with our past selves running around."  
  
"Don't worry, our dear potions master has left some wolfsbane potion in the castle, the headmaster will make sure I get it in time."  
  
"I see. I wonder when we'll see Snape, Dumbledore said he was with the death eaters but they haven't shown themselves yet as far as I know."  
  
"I have no idea, Padfoot, Malfoy is probably planing something big. Lets not think about it yet. We'll deal with it when it comes. Goodnight."  
  
"Night."  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: The same I said before goes for Remus and Daniel. Thanks for all reviews. 


	17. Pranks

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up early. Ryan and Daniel were still sleeping but that suited his plans perfectly. The twins had heard they were in the time of the marauders and had made a bet with him about who would get detention first. Harry had assured them he was perfectly capable to get into trouble first and they had agreed to give him some of their products for free if he did it. Knowing the marauders he had planned on doing something that morning at breakfast, just to be sure they would not get in trouble before him. Harry quickly got dressed and took out a large package out of his trunk along with his father's cloak. Silently he left his rooms, careful not to wake Derek, who was sprawled in front of the fire, and began to head to the kitchens. Half a way he saw Ron and Hermione walking to his room. He looked around and seeing no one he took of the cloak. Ron and Hermione looked a little startled at his sudden appearance but just smiled at him. Hermione looked him over  
carefully.  
  
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Harry rose an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Fine, why do you ask?"  
  
"You looked a little out of it yesterday." Harry nodded more to himself than to his friends, his thoughts on the day before were hazy at best. He could remember talking to the marauders and then going away with Ryan, Daniel and Ethan, but not much more.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right, but don't worry, I'm fine. Where were you guys going?" Ron smiled at him.  
  
"We wanted to see your room before going to breakfast. And where were you going?" Harry got a mischievous look and smirked at them.  
  
"Fred and George challenged me to get a detention before the marauders, I was planning to get this to everyone's breakfast this morning." He opened the package he had been carrying and showed what was inside to his friends. Ron's grins matched his own when he saw what was inside, it was one of his brothers last inventions. It looked like regular beacon but when you ate it you became of a colour that changed with your mood, since it took a while to take effect more people could be changed before anyone became suspicious. It lasted for several hours and they hadn't found a way to reverse it back. Hermione frowned but Harry talked to her, anticipating her protest.  
  
"Look, Hermi, we are stuck here and we have to make the best of it. In a few weeks we'll be back and we will have to act responsible once again, here we don't need to uphold any reputation. I don't care about they think about me, neither does Ron and neither should you. The only ones who might care are Ryan, Daniel and Ethan, and since they have all done much worse they don't really have a say in the matter."  
  
"Except in giving us detention." Even though she was being sarcastic a large grin had replaced her frown. "What are we waiting for?" Her friends smiled happily at her. Harry enlarged the cloak, not wanting anyone to see them and get suspicious and they continued walking towards the kitchen.  
  
Ryan and Daniel had been worried about Harry when they didn't see him in his room that morning, and were therefor relieved to see him sitting at the gryffindor table talking quietly with Ron and Hermione, waiting for breakfast to start. It was on of the things that had changed at Hogwarts through the years. In this time they were expected to have all meals together instead to be able to appear at different times. The trio was waiting excitedly for everyone to start eating, Hermione had brought her camera and was eagerly waiting her chance at getting some nice pictures for the twins. The first one to change was McGonagall, with a shriek she saw her arm turn to a deep orange colour. Everyone looked at her astounded, but quickly more and more people started to change. Harry was laughing so hard his sides hurt, the marauders were looking dumbfounded, noticing their green colour, Harry supposed they were wondering who had been able to pull such a prank besides themselves. Harry  
saw Hermione laughing while holding up her camera, taking shots from different people at the hall, mostly in the general direction of the teachers table. Ron suddenly grabbed his arm and pointed to the slytherin table, where Harry recognised a young Snape completely black from anger, he had his wand out and was trying to remove the colour to no avail. After having had a good laugh about his future professor, Harry looked at the professors table and quickly nudged Hermione.  
  
"McGonagall's coming, hid your camera." Hermione nodded and did as he had said, Harry also warned Ron and they all tried to look innocent, that was actually a hard thing to do since they were about the only ones who had not eaten the food, and so hadn't got any colour. After McGonagall, came Daniel, and by the purple colour of his robes, Harry could tell he was not in a good mood, he didn't doubt he would get in big trouble with the werewolf, but at least it had been worth. McGonagall finally reached them and she turned to the marauder. In a dangerous soft voice she asked:  
  
"Ok, who of your four did it? And how can we change back?" The boys looked genuinely confused, nearly sending the trio into hysterics again. James finally spoke.  
  
"We have no idea who did this, professor, but we sure as hell would like to know." The woman obviously didn't believe them and was about to say so when Daniel put a calming hand on her shoulder. She turned around and looked at him questioningly.  
  
"What is it, Daniel?" But the man was looking sternly at Harry, Ron and Hermione, who shifted nervously under his glare, it wasn't often they found themselves on the werewolf's bad side. Harry briefly wondered why his professor was in such bad mood, after all he usually just reproved their pranks.  
  
"And may I ask who of you three did it?"  
  
"Daniel, I really don't think they did this, you don't know the marauders, they..." Daniel didn't let her finish.  
  
"The boys say they didn't do it, and you don't know the mischievous trio, is they put their minds on it, I'm sure they could give the marauders a run for their money." He looked back at the three children, who were listening with bowed heads, trying to hid their grins. "I'm still expecting an answer." Hermione looked up innocently and said.  
  
"All three of us, professor."  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me? Very well you've earned a detention and ten points from gryffindor each. Now, could you please tell us how to change this?" Harry suppressed his smile and said.  
  
"You don't." Daniel, Minerva and everyone who was listening narrowed their eyes.  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"It will go away in a few hours." Daniel drew a breath trying to calm himself, he hadn't had a good night sleep and the three of them were beginning to work on his nerves.  
  
"That's not what I asked, Harry." Ron shrugged.  
  
"It's the only way, my brothers haven't found a way to reverse it." Most of the students started to laugh, imagining having class with the colourful professors. Daniel and Minerva on the other hand scowled at them, not amused at all. Before they could say anything, Hermione caught sight of an angry red Ryan coming their way. Quickly grabbing her friends wrists she said.  
  
"I've forgotten something in the tower, are you guys coming with me?" She began to drag the two surprised boys out of the great hall, passing rows of laughing students. Once outside she didn't let go of them but rather started to walk to the kitchens.  
  
"Herm, what's wrong." Harry gasped behind her, trying to keep up with her pace.  
  
"Ryan was on his way to the table and judging for his red colour, he wasn't happy with us. I decided a tactical retreat was in order." Then they heard quick footsteps approaching. Understanding it was probably Ryan, Harry brought out the invisibility cloak, and covered himself and his two friends with it. Not a minute later, Ryan raced down the hall, obviously trying to catch them. When he finally disappeared around a corner, Harry put his cloak down and sniggered softly.  
  
"He certainly was not in a good mood. I think we should head to class, we don't have defence right now, do we?" Hermione took out the piece of parchment they had got before breakfast and shook her head.  
  
"No, we have charms, we might as well be early, we need to win back all those points." Then she grinned evilly. "I can't wait to reveal those pictures, it's going to be hilarious." Laughing the trio went to class.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. 


	18. Lessons

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
When the trio arrived at the charms classroom no one was there. They picked seats in front and took out their books. Hermione then lectured both about not pulling anything in the lessons because they had already had their fun and they needed to win back the points they had lost. Besides, Daniel and Ryan hadn't looked happy with them, probably they didn't want to draw attention. Ron and Harry reluctantly agreed, at least while Snape wasn't in the same classroom as them. At this words Hermione smiled evilly and assured them that if they had the chance to pull something on him she would help in all she could. The three quieted down when the colourful students entered. Most were talking happily about what had happened, they seemed to have taken it well, others shot them resentful looks and others, mostly the marauders, looked a tad jealous. All murmurs ceased when a blue professor Flitwick entered the classroom. Most students had to cover their mouths in order to not burst out laughing. The professor paid them no heed, and began the lesson saying they would learn about duelling charms.   
"Well class, lets begin with something easy. Who thinks he can do the disarming charm." The first three hands in the air were Ron's, Harry's and Hermione's, causing the class to murmur. Flitwick looked them over carefully, he knew Harry was probably more than able to do it so he decided to pick up his redheaded friend.  
"Please Mr Surley, come here." Ron made his way up and looked down at the professor. "First, what's the incantation to do the charm."  
"Expeliarimus, sir." Flitwick nodded and took out his wand.  
"Very well, try to disarm me when I say." The two men faced each other and the Flitwick said now and started to shout the disarming curse himself. Ron hadn't been expecting it, but nevertheless he sprung aside, let the professors charm pass and whispered the charm himself, effectively disarming the man. He smiled a little at the surprised face of his professor and handed him his wand back. "That was very good Mr Surley, ten points to Gryffindor. You can sit down." Ron did as he was told and smiled at his friends. "Ok, everyone, now you are all going to try it. Make groups of three, two do the charm and the third makes sure the wands don't go astray." Ron of course paired up with his friends and they lazily began to disarm their friends. Soon it became boring and they decided to make it more of a match. Ron and Hermione shouted the curse together and began to purr more power into the charm, seeing who would win. Harry sat on a side looking at them interested, he never took part in this little competitions his friends held because they had soon learned Harry always won. After about ten minutes, Hermione sent Ron flying through the room and Harry hurriedly stopped him, levitating him to the ground.   
"And what was that?" The three turned to see the professor looking at them with a slightly amazed look on his face. He shook his head to clear it, it was not often he found powerful wizards at this young age, he wondered what they must have gone through to master their powers to that level. Before they could answer he added "Never mind, I think you have mastered this charm, write a six inch paper on it for tomorrow and you can go." The teenagers nodded happily, took their things and left the room.  
"Well guys, what do we do now? We have still an hour till transfiguration."  
"We could go to your room, Harry, we haven't seen it yet."  
"That's ok with me Herm, but what if Ryan or Daniel are there?" Ron and Hermione looked at each other.  
"Well, then you're lucky because you won't have to face them alone." Harry grinned at his friends and they began to walk together towards his room.   
When they arrived, Harry made sure there was no one in the common room and collapsed in an armchair. Godric sang a little and flew towards him, settling on his shoulder. Ron and Hermione looked around and then sat down on the couch. Suddenly Hermione remembered the camera and took it out, exchanging grins with her friends. She muttered something to it and tapped it twice with her wand. A few minutes later the trio was rolling from laughter, looking at the pictures. They were so absorbed in the pictures that they didn't notice the door open and Ryan and Daniel come in. The two men looked at them for a while, slight smiles on their faces, it had been a long time since they had heard the three teenagers laugh so freely as now. Finally Ron noticed them and they quickly whipped the smiles from their faces. Ron didn't notice it since he was busy warning his friends and trying to hid the pictures. Without a word Ryan extended his yellow hand and with a sigh the teenagers handed him the pictures. He handed them back at Daniel and looked at the kids.  
"Ok, listen to me. Nor Daniel, nor Ethan nor me have a problem with you having your fun, but was it really necessary to curse the whole great hall? Even Dumbledore? I mean, we are trying to keep a low profile and these stunts don't help. I don't want to have to repeat this, is that understood?"  
"Yes, sir." The teenagers tried to put their most innocent faces, Ryan sighed and shook his head.  
"Why aren't you in class?"  
"Flitwick dismissed us early since we had already mastered the disarming charm." Ryan nodded and he and Daniel sat down opposite of Ron and Hermione. It wasn't long that, after some coaxing from the children, they were back at looking at the pictures and laughing.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. 


	19. Snape and Malfoy

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Half an hour later the three friends raced through the empty halls to the transfiguration classroom. Once again they were the first ones to arrive, the others were probably getting their things together. McGonagall looked up from her table when they came in. She was of a soft blue colour and seemed to have got over her anger somewhat.  
"You are early." The three sat in a few places in front of the classroom and Ron answered.  
"We know, Professor Flitwick dismissed us early." The witch nodded and closed the book she had been reading.  
"I hope you are not planning something like this morning, I won't tolerate that kind of behaviour in my class." They smiled at her, she hadn't changed in twenty years.  
"Don't worry professor, we usually only pull pranks on people we don't like and certainly not on teachers." Ron and Harry looked at Hermione with smirks on their faces.  
"Well, I remember a certain potions teacher of us..." Hermione slightly blushed.  
"There's an exception to every rule."  
"You pulled a pranks on a teacher?" McGonagall was looking sternly at them.  
"Well, you see our last potions teacher enjoyed giving us detention without apparent reason, he hatted our guts, so we decided to give him a reason to punish us." Before the teacher had the chance to reply, the other students arrived. Lily sat down next to Hermione and began to talk excitedly about the lesson and what she had done with Ron. Soon McGonagall began to talk, cutting of all conversations. Ron, Harry and Hermione proved to be as good in this class as in charms, they managed to win 50 points to Gryffindor.  
After transfiguration they had two hours till lunch so they decided to go outside, it was still pretty warm for September and a lot of students could be seen walking on the grounds. They decided on a quite place next to the lake and laid down. Hermione took out a book on Arithmancy and began to read the first chapter aloud so her friends could hear her, that was one of the things they had got used to while studying, one of the three read a chapter of a book and then they discussed it till they understood it completely, it was a great way to study and it could become quite interesting. They had been sitting there for half an hour when Hermione suddenly stopped reading. Harry looked up and saw Hermione was looking to a spot on his left, he looked that way and saw a young Snape standing next to an older boy who looked just like Draco Malfoy, he supposed it was Lucius. They both sneered down at them. Ron, who was laying next to Harry, sat up but his friend didn't bother to move, in a calm voice he asked.  
"Something wrong?" Malfoy looked at his disgusted and answered.  
"You are on our spot."  
"Oh, really? I don't think there's your name on it." Hermione smiled slightly and began to read again silently. Ron was the only one who still was looking at the two boys. He was mildly amused when he saw them grow red faced at being ignored in such way. Snape took out his wand and pointed it at Harry. The other boy seemed unaware of it, but Ron knew Harry well enough to know he was aware of every move Snape pulled.  
"Mudbloods are not welcome here." Malfoy put a calming hand on his arm. A sharp voice cut Harry's answer short.  
"What's happening here?" This time, Harry sat up and calmly looked at the potions mistress.  
"These two boys were telling us we were not welcome to this school because we are muggle borns." The woman looked a little startled.  
"I thought you were pureblood."  
"I am, in fact so is Ron. I was about to tell them that but you came before I got the chance of inform them."  
"I see. Ten points from Slytherin and be happy you don't get detention, this time." The two boys scowled at her but didn't say anything and went back inside. Harry laid back down and yawned.  
"Tired, mate?" The raven haired boy smiled at Ron and nodded.  
"Yes, a little."  
"I'm impressed." The three kids looked at the professor who was still standing next to them.  
"About what, professor?"  
"You're about the first Gryffindors I've met who haven't begun a fight the moment they were insulted. Most of your house are hot tempered and go quick for their wands." The trio laughed a little.  
"We used to do that most of the time, at least Harry and I did. I guess Hermione finally got into our heads that those bullies are not worth get in trouble for." Harry continued his friend's thought.  
"Of course those two didn't push the right buttons for us to get pissed." The woman nodded and smiled down at them.  
"It's nearly lunch time, you should go inside." With those last words she left them alone. Ron stood up first and helped Hermione and then Harry to stand up. Harry wavered a little when he was on his feet and Ron had to steady him.  
"Harry, are you alright?"  
"Just a little dizzy, I think I'm going to lay down for a while." Ron nodded, took his arm and began to pull him towards the castle.  
"Come, I'll bring you to your room. Could you save me a place, Hermi?" The girl nodded.  
"Sure. Sleep well Harry, I'll see you later." The three parted ways just after they entered and Hermione went to the great hall. A lot of students looked at her with big smiles. She wondered briefly what it was about but otherwise ignored it. She was to used to this for it to unnerve her, being friends with Harry usually gave her a lot of attention. She joined the marauders, sitting next to Remus and noticed the colours had begun to fade.  
"Hey guys." The boys and Lily smiled brightly at her and Sirius bent over her.  
"Please Hermione, tell us it's true." She looked at the black haired boy questioningly.  
"What is?"  
"You, Harry and Ron got Snape in trouble." Hermione laughed briefly.  
"Well, he really did it on his own, we just answered his remarks calmly."  
"Oh, I would have loved to see his face."   
"Yeah, me too, James. Usually it's him who gets people in trouble, it's nice to know there's someone to return him the favour." The boys laughed at Remus's words till a voice interrupted them.  
"Hermione?" The girl looked up and smiled.  
"Yes, Ryan? Oh, sorry, professor Desclair." Ryan waved it off.  
"Call me Ryan, we are out of class right now. Can you tell me where Harry and Ron are?"  
"Harry wasn't feeling well and Ron helped him to his room."  
"Ok, thanks Hermione." With those words Ryan quickly left the hall and Hermione turned her attention back to the marauders who were now planing some prank or other and asking for her advise.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews 


	20. Dementors

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Ryan quickly made his way up to his room, passing rows of students who looked at him curiously. When he finally entered his living room he saw Ron carefully closing the door to Harry's room.  
"Ron?" The teenager spun around and looked at him surprised.  
"Oh, hello Ryan, you startled me."  
"Sorry, is Harry sleeping?" The boy nodded while Ryan walked to his side.  
"Yes, he just collapsed on the bed, I didn't dare to put him more comfortable and just put a blanket over him to keep him warm. I was planning on going to get you right now." Ryan nodded and smiled.  
"Thanks Ron. Go eat lunch I'm sure you're starving and Hermione is waiting for you."   
"Ok, bye Ryan, see you later."   
Once Ron left the room Ryan walked in Harry's room. He saw his godson laying peacefully on the bed, Ron had closed the windows and dimmed the light in the room. Carefully he sat down next to Harry and pulled his robes away, leaving him in his shirt and jeans. He lifted his godson in his arms and put the covers back. He gently laid Harry in bed and tucked him in. After making sure Harry was comfortable he walked to the door intending to go to his room, but before he could get out Harry sat up sharply, his eyes wide open and looking frantically around, barely noticing his godfather standing near the door, looking at him startled.  
"Harry, did you have a nightmare?" Ryan approached the bed but Harry sprang out of it and began to put on his shoes, ignoring his question. "Harry, what's wrong, kid?" Harry shook his head and stood up.   
"Something's wrong in the great hall." Without further comment the boy tore out of the room with Ryan following in his tracks.   
Ryan looked in something akin to wonder at the boy running in front of him, all the tiredness had left his body and was now replaced by sheer power. The same power that had ended Voldemort in the first place and the power Harry always kept hidden inside his soul. It was in these moment that Harry looked every inch the powerful wizard he was and Ryan was thankful to have him at his side and not at the receiving end of the kid's power.  
  
In the great hall Dumbledore had been sitting in his place looking pensively at the gryffindor table. More specially at his two new exchange students. Flitwick had come to see him after the lesson he had had with them and reported on their astounding control of the disarming charm and in the power he had seen in the two children. Not even two hours later Minerva had come in with much the same information. They had been expecting Harry to have an easy time with his classes, but it seemed his friends were not far behind with their abilities. They had all the potential to become some of the best students of Hogwarts, yet Minerva was sure Harry was even more powerful than he had showed in his lessons so far and Dumbledore had learned to trust his deputy headmistress in these kind of things. He didn't quite know what to make about the whole thing. Three new students, all three sorted in gryffindor and wielding outstanding abilities. Not to mention the relationship they sustained with his three new teachers. Somehow he was beginning to doubt it was coincidence.  
Before he could continue that train of thought his insides froze, all students stopped talking at once leaving the hall deathly silent. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly. Only one thing could do that, dementors. The headmaster stood up quickly and took out his wand. It seemed he was not the only one who had reached the same conclusion, McGonagall, Daniel and Ethan had stood up at the same time and were now looking intently at the door. The students began to shift nervously in their seats and Dumbledore knew he had to say something or else they were going to panic.  
"Please, students, stay seated, we will deal with whatever has entered the castle, you all can help us by staying were you are." All children obeyed him except two. Ron and Hermione had stood up and were now standing in front of the marauders and Lily, ignoring their whispers for them to sit down. They were looking intently at the door with their wands in their hands. Dumbledore wondered if they knew what was at the other side of the door, they seemed to be very sure of themselves. Suddenly Daniel's voice broke the silence.  
"Ron, Hermione, patronus when I say. Where are Ryan and Harry?" Ron turned slightly to him, still keeping a watchful eye on the door.  
"They are in their rooms. Don't worry, you know Harry always senses when something's wrong, they will be here in no time." The man didn't answer, he had a faraway look, he seemed to be listening for something. The rest of the teachers had now stood up too and were looking between Daniel and the two teenagers, wondering what was going on, there was no way that two fifth year students could be able to conjure a patronus. Daniel suddenly snapped.  
"Now!"  
"Expecto Patronum." The doors opened at the same time that the four silvery figures emerged. Dumbledore could easily recognise a large wolf as Daniel's patronus, a dragon for Ethan, an elve for Hermione and a lion for Ron. The four figures began to battle the dementors that had been about to enter the room and were soon joined by McGonagall's cat and Dumbledore's phoenix. The fight seemed to be balanced, neither party could get the upper hand in the fight. Dumbledore was thinking about a way to help the patronus when two new figures joined the fight from behind. He could see it was a large dog and a brilliant stag, whoever had conjured the beautiful animal was sure to be very powerful. He looked to Daniel that was looking at the fight, a small smile framing his lips.  
"Daniel?" The man turned to him slightly.  
"Yes, headmaster?"  
"Do you know who conjured those patronus?" Daniel nodded.  
"Ryan and Harry, Ron was right when he said they would know that something was wrong"  
"I see."  
Dumbledore looked at the battle again and noticed very few dementors were left, he was about to sigh from relieve when a cold voice made his heart freeze.  
"Avada Kedavra!"  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: Thanks for all reviews. 


	21. Wormtail

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Dumbledore turned around and saw a green light speeding to where he was standing, he had been so immersed in keeping the children safe that he hadn't noticed a death eater come close to him. He heard some students scream behind him and knew it was his end, there was no way he could escape the curse. He closed his eyes, waiting death to claim him, but then something pushed him to the ground making the curse swerve above his head. With a loud sound he slammed to the ground, his protector falling on top of him. Barely a few seconds had passed and the hall was once again quiet. Suddenly he felt the weight that had been on top of him lift and a roar passed through the hall. Dumbledore leaned on his elbow and saw a mighty griffin standing protectively in front of him. Then in a soft pop the griffin was gone and Harry stood in front of him wand raised. Softly the boy said:  
  
"Stupiffy" And the death eater that had been hiding behind a few hanging fell to the ground stunned. Dumbledore was still shocked to see Harry standing there, tall and powerful, he didn't look like the sickly teenager he had known for the last week. The boy turned around and for the first time that evening Dumbledore saw his eyes and finally understood what Minerva had told him. They were bright green, alight with a powerful fire and glittering dangerously. Suddenly the headmaster was sure of one thing, this child, whoever he was, had more power than him and obviously knew very well how to use it. Harry knelt at his side and offered him his hand. The old wizard didn't hesitate and took it. Maybe there were things he didn't know about the boy but there was one thing he knew above all, he was trustworthy.  
  
"Are you alright sir?" Dumbledore nodded slightly while Harry helped him up. Once standing Dumbledore looked around to assess the situation. Ethan and Daniel were just finishing with the last dementors. Ryan was standing guard over the stunned death eater while Ron and Hermione had moved to stand next to James and Lily who were looking confused at them. Harry was at his side and was looking around, searching for something. With a sigh he turned to Ron.  
  
"Hey Ron."  
  
"Yes Harry?"  
  
"Do you have the parchment I gave you last year?" Ron frowned a little but then his face cleared up when he understood Harry was talking about the map.  
  
"Yes sure, I always have it in my pocket, why?"  
  
"I think a certain rat is around, could you try to find it? And check if there are any other death eaters around." Ryans head snapped up a look of hate passing through his features. Dumbledore was confused and Ron just nodded. The boy took out a piece of parchment and moved a little so no one could hear him. He tapped the parchment with his wand and muttered something. While he was looking Dumbledore turned to Harry.  
  
"What is Mr Surley looking for, Harry?" Harry looked at him briefly but continued looking around.  
  
"I am able to sense death eaters, sir, and I know there is one around here right now, Ron's trying to..."  
  
"Harry, behind you!" Harry turned around quicker then the headmaster, he just saw Wormtails familiar face before he heard another shout.  
  
"Crucio!" Dumbledore had turned in time to see a flash of light collide with Harry's chest, he was stunned when the boy's only reaction was to clench his fists and take a step back. He knew not even grown up wizards were able to stop the pain of that curse and yet this boy was barely affected by it. Harry shook his head and then with a wave of his hand he made wormtail slam against the wall, rendering him unconscious. Harry sighed and lowered his hand, slightly rubbing his chest where the curse had hit him.  
  
"Are you alright Harry?"  
  
"Fine sir, don't worry." He turned to Ron who was just putting the parchment into his pocket.  
  
"Anyone else Ron?" The redhead shook his head and resumed his place next to Lily.  
  
"No one else inside the castle, but maybe they are in the forest and some other places that don't appear in the parchment. Someone should go check it out just to be on the safe side." Harry nodded and the whistled sharply. Less than a minute later his four pets were surrounding him, awaiting his instruccions. First he turned to his phoenix.  
  
"Godric, please, go check the forest for any sign of death eaters, it would be useful to know if Lucius Malfoy has taken a post there." Dumbledore could feel his jaw drop, this boy had one of the rarest gifts there was, he was able to talk in phoenixi, the language of the phoenixes. The last known person able to do that had been Godric Gryffindor himself. Once again he wondered who this boy was, if he still had any doubts about the boy being special they difussed when he started to talk with his little fairy once again in her language.  
  
*Echo, could you go fly around the grounds? I know Ron didn't see anything on the map, but better be safe then sorry.* The little being nodded with a giggle and left the room  
  
Finally Harry turned to the snake laying at his feet.  
  
"Pleassse Derek, could you go check the Chamber of Sssecretsss? I know Lucius could not come in sssince he'sss not a parssselmouth, but I wouldn't put it passst Voldemort to give hisss men waysss to enter it unknown to usss. Oh, and be careful with the basssilisssk sssleeping there, I would prefer not to have it around the ssschool." The snake nodded and also left the room.  
  
After only Hedwig remained, Harry took out a piece of parchment and began to write a letter with his owl perched on his shoulder. A sudden movement took Dumbledore's attention, he turned around and saw Ryan and Daniel approaching the death eater that Harry had rammed into the wall. He was somewhat startled at the hatred framing their features. He noticed they were holding their wands tightly in their hands and he suddenly knew they were about to kill the man. Knowing he had to do something about it so the children didn't see that happening, the headmaster took a step forward. He didn't have the chance to do much more. Harry had noticed it too and without looking up Dumbledore heard him whisper the disarming charm and saw the wands of the two teachers flying to the boy. Both men immediately turned to Harry, knowing he had been the one to stop them.  
  
"Harry!" Ryan seemed to be sheeting with anger but the boy didn't even flinch under his glare.  
  
"This little rat doesn't deserve to live, he gave your parents away to Voldemort, he's a slimy traitor, we should kill him right now!" Dumbledore shook his head, he hadn't known what exactly had happened to Harry's parents but he was sorry the boy had to face the man who had destroyed his life. He looked intently at the unconscious man, frowning slightly, there was something very familiar about him. The great hall was silently awaiting Harry's answer to the professor's words. Ron and Hermione were looking torn between loathing for the man and concern for their friends. Ethan had moved to stand near his brother and looked at the scene with a unreadable expression on his face. Daniel stayed silent, not moving his eyes from the unmoving figure, he seemed to be to angry for words. Finally Harry folded the letter and looked calmly at his godfather.  
  
"You know I agree with you, Ryan. But you also know I won't let the two of you become murderers just because of him. We have had this conversation before, in fact we have been in this situation before and my answer is the same as it was two years ago. I'm sure my father wouldn't have wanted you to kill him and no one else deserves Azkaban more than him. So stay away from the little rat and keep your hands for yourself. End of discussion." He turned to his owl and tied the parchment around her leg. "Here you go, girl, bring this to the headmaster please." Hedwig hooted lovingly and flew away. Ryan didn't seem to have calmed down and was about to say something when everyone's attention was drawn to the opening of the doors. They all looked wearily as a black robbed man entered the hall and started to walk towards Harry.  
  
To be continued...  
  
Author's notes: I'm assuming the marauders don't have done the map yet. Also there should be no problem with the patronus because they haven't done the animagy transformation yet, it's still the beginning of their fifth year. Thanks for all reviews. 


	22. He killed him

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
When the man stepped inside most of the teachers rose their wands again but the man quickly put his mask away revealing a pale thin face with dark black eyes. He looked around as if assessing the situation, completely ignoring the wands trained at him. Ryan and him exchanged a hateful look but then the stranger fixed his eyes on Harry. Dumbledore looked at the man intently, his first reaction had been stun him but the fact that Harry didn't move somehow seemed to be sufficient for him to know that man was not a danger. Briefly he wondered when he had begun to trust Harry this much, he barely knew the boy yet he had allowed him to take control of the situation without even noticing. The man either sensed the control was with the boy or simply knew it before hand but it was to him he addressed his words.  
  
"The dark King isn't happy, Harry, he has found out you are here and was blowing quite a temper tantrum when I left." The dark King was the name Lucius Malfoy had given himself after Voldemort's fall. At those words, Harry smirked.  
  
"I'm so sorry to upset him."  
  
"I'm sure you are, nevertheless, he's preparing a massive attack at the school. It was scheduled for Halloween but the notice of your presence here has forced him to change plans, it probably will be rescheduled to Christmas or even later. He's trying to get the dementors to his side since they are not with Voldemort yet." Harry rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, he was more than used to this kind of behaviour and knew the dark lords liked to launch attacks in festive days. The strangers eyes suddenly became unfocused as if he was listening to something, then he focused on Harry again. "The dark King is calling, I need to get going, I'll keep you posted." Harry nodded and looked the man leave the room.  
  
Dumbledore stood looking at the door for some time until he saw Harry sink into a chair, a tired look covering his features. He knew no more danger was coming and found himself again in control of the situation. The headmaster turned to the teachers.  
  
"Please bring the students to their dorms." The teachers nodded and began to herd the younger students to the large doors, motioning for the older ones to follow them. Dumbledore looked at Ron and Hermione, who still had been standing at James and Lily's side, they were looking at Harry, as if waiting for him to tell them something. He wasn't in time to turn around and see what Harry did but the reaction of the two teenagers was immediately. They started to follow the marauders and Lily out of the room as soon as they had started to move. The headmaster would have liked for Ron and Hermione to stay since they seemed to know what was going on but he had the impression they wouldn't obey him if Harry didn't agree and it was obvious the boy wanted them to go to the rooms. Finally, when all students had left, Dumbledore turned to Harry, who was still sitting in a chair near to him.  
  
"Why don't we move to my office?" The teenager looked around and nodded, slowly he stood up and leaned on Ryan who was at his side in an instant. Dumbledore muttered a floating charm and let the death eaters levitate behind him, with Daniel and Ethan following them. Ten minutes later they arrived in front of the gargoyle and went in. McGonagall was already there with Flitwick and Danielle. Everyone took seats in front of Dumbledore and waited till the other teachers came back. When after five minutes, everyone was gathered in there and Dumbledore was about to start talking, a soft knock interrupted them again and Ron and Hermione came in. With a nod to Harry's direction, they sat down at either side of him. Dumbledore looked at them curiously but decided to continue.  
  
"Very well, first things, first. Danielle, do you have some veritaserum with you?" The woman nodded and handed it to Dumbledore.  
  
"Here you go headmaster." The old wizard thanked her and then tied Wormtail down on a chair. He walked towards him and gave him some of the potion. Harry felt Ron and Hermione pale and tense besides him, they both shot him anxious glances, they knew as good as him that if they didn't do anything all their secrets would be out in the open. Harry's mind was racing, he couldn't think of anything they could do without drawing to much attention to themselves. From the corner of his eye he looked at Ryan and saw the man was looking blankly how Dumbledore revived Wormtail, ready to begin the questioning, and he knew there was nothing they could do about it. With a sigh he sank into his chair and looked at Dumbledore who had started to talk.  
  
"Are you awake?" In a dazed voice, Wormtail answered his question.  
  
"Yes." Everyone was listening intently.  
  
"What's your name?" Harry tensed in his chair. There went their secrets, he hopped the headmaster had planned something in case things like this happened, else he was sure they were about to destroy the future.  
  
"Peter Pettigrew, usually called Wormtail." An audible gasp could be heard around the room, most of the teachers were looking disbelieving at the man sitting in front of them.  
  
"How can that be? Peter Pettigrew is in his room and he is only fifteen years old."  
  
"I come from the future, around twenty-five years in the future." More gasps filled the room, while teachers looked at each other confused. Dumbledore looked up from the man to Hermione and Ron who had resigned looks on their faces, the he looked at Ethan, who was looking out of the window. His gaze traveled to Daniel and Ryan, who' eyes were still fixed on the man, a deep loathing framing their features and finally he looked at Harry, who returned his gaze steadily. Now everything made much more sense, but he still had a lot of questions so he turned his attention to the man.  
  
"So you have become a death eater? You work for Voldemort?" He was very surprised at this news, he would never have suspected one of the marauders to turn on them this way.  
  
"Yes, I'm a death eater, but I don't work for You-Know-Who anymore." Dumbledore rose his eyebrows, somewhat confused, a death eater not working for Voldemort? That was a confusing thought.  
  
"Why not?" The man moved his gaze and fixed it on Harry, Dumbledore followed it and saw the boy was smiling ever so slightly. Then Wormtail's voice rang through the room.  
  
"Because this brat killed him."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. 


	23. Introductions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Dumbledore's office was silent after wormtail's words. All teachers were now looking doubtful at Harry, they couldn't believe a fifteen year old had done what no one had been able to, yet, if they thought back at all that had happened since the boy had come to the castle, the possibility of him defeating the dark lord didn't seem as far fetched. The headmaster turned to look at Harry who was still looking calmly at wormtail. When the boy sensed his gaze he looked at him trough those mysterious green eyes and knew what the death eater had said was true. With a sigh he stunned the death eater again, knowing it would probably be better for them to question Harry himself since much of the future had already been revealed.  
  
"Harry." The boy looked at him intently and Dumbledore sensed Ryan, Daniel, Ethan, Hermione and Ron look at him expectantly.  
  
"Yes, headmaster?" His voice was emotionless.  
  
"You and your friends come from the future, don't you?" The boy nodded.  
  
"Yes we do, sir."  
  
"Since so much has already been revealed I would like to know who you are, I doubt you have got in here with your true names. I also would like to know why you are here." Harry looked pensively for a while before nodding. Then he looked behind him and motioned for Ryan to begin. The man's lips twitched, forming a large, mischievous grin and he mock bowed to Dumbledore.  
  
"Headmaster, my name's Sirius Black, member of the infamous marauders and this" he motioned to Daniel "is my partner in crime, Remus Lupin." The three teenagers rolled their eyes and looked around. Most teachers wore stunned looks, they certainly hadn't been expecting this. McGonagall put her head in her hands and loudly asked.  
  
"How on earth did Sirius Black become a teacher. I can understand about Remus, but Sirius?" The people of the future burst out laughing while Sirius tried to look offended.  
  
"Hey! I'm hurt, don't you think I make a wonderful teacher?" McGonagall looked up at him with a face that clearly said no, finally Sirius joined his friends in their laughter and reassured his former teacher. "Relax, professor, I'm not really a teacher, I just needed a way to be in the castle." Most teachers sighed in relieve causing the travelers to laugh harder. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling merrily when he moved his gaze to Ethan. Taking his cue, he straightened up and smiled a little nervously at his former headmaster.  
  
"My name, is Charlie Weasley, I graduated from Hogwarts several years ago. I was a Gryffindor and the quidditch team captain, I played as seeker. Now I usually work with dragons in Romania." Dumbledore smiled at him.  
  
"Nice to meet you Charlie, are you perhaps related to Molly and Arthur Weasley?" The redhead nodded.  
  
"Yes sir, they are my parents."  
  
"I see, I've heard about you from your brother Bill, he started this year." Charlie nodded, he had already seen his brother around. Dumbledore shifted his gaze to the three teenagers who were sitting calmly in the chairs as if they had been there lots of times, he couldn't help but smile at that though.  
  
"I assume you three attend Hogwarts?" They all nodded, wide grins on their faces. "Which house, if I may ask?"  
  
"Gryffindor, of course." Dumbledore laughed a bit.  
  
"Then, could you introduce yourselves?" They looked at each and Hermione decided to go first.  
  
"My name's Hermione Granger, I just finished my fifth year at Hogwarts when I came here, I got sixteen OWL's and I'm a prefect for our house."  
  
"That's very impressing Miss Granger." Hermione blushed at the headmaster's compliment. "Anything else?" Hermione was shaking her head when Ron put in.  
  
"She's our resident genius, if you need to know anything just ask her." McGonagall smirked a little from her place.  
  
"I don't think you're one to talk, you're pretty smart yourself:" Ron waved her off and just said.  
  
"It's only her bad influence."  
  
"Hey!" Hermione smacked him on the head causing the adults to laugh. Ron rubbed his head and then turned to face Dumbledore.  
  
"Anyway, I'm Ronald Weasley, but please call me Ron."  
  
"You're the third kid of Arthur and Molly?"  
  
"Er, more like the sixth." He then started to laugh at the old man's surprised face.  
  
"Sixth? They have six children?" Charlie shook his head.  
  
"Actually seven, Ron and I still have a younger sister." Most teachers looked a little dazed at the news but Dumbledore snapped out of it quickly, after all that had happened this last hours that didn't seem as surprising as it might have been.  
  
"Well Ron, anything else you want to tell us?"  
  
"Oh, I'm the gryffindor's keeper."  
  
"How long have you been on the team?"  
  
"This has been my first year." Dumbledore nodded and then shifted his gaze to Harry who had stayed silent all the time.  
  
"Well Harry, I believe it's your turn." The boy rolled his eyes but sat up a little straighter.  
  
"My name is Harry Potter." Many gasps ran through the room but Dumbledore didn't look very surprised, he had been expecting something like that since he had known they were from the future and Sirius and Remus were there. (I'm talking about the future ones)  
  
"You're James Potter's kid, aren't you?" Harry nodded.  
  
"Yes, James Potter is my father and Lily Evans is my mother." Dumbledore looked sad for a moment.  
  
"They are dead." Harry nodded solemnly but quickly changed the topic, he didn't want for Dumbledore to ask how they had exactly died, it was bad enough he knew wormtail had betrayed them.  
  
"As I was saying, I'm Harry Potter and I'm a prefect for my house, gryffindor. I'm also the seeker and captain of the quidditch team." Dumbledore's eyes began to twinkle again.  
  
"Since when have you been on the team? If you're anything like James it must have been your second year:" Ron snorted from Harry's side.  
  
"Actually wonder boy here managed to get into the team in his first year, he was the youngest seeker for over a century and only has lost one game and that was because dementors came in." McGonagall's indignant voice rang through the room.  
  
"That's against the rules! A first year can not enter the team." The teenagers laughed again and Harry looked at her smirking.  
  
"Hey, you were the one who dragged me to see the captain when I didn't even know what quidditch was." At those words Minerva blushed furiously and sank back into her chair. Dumbledore laughed with everyone else before asking.  
  
"Anything else?" Harry looked at the headmaster a little aprehensively, he knew what the old man wanted to know but didn't know if he wanted to tell him. Unluckily for him, his friends didn't mind tell Dumbledore for him.  
  
"Sure there is more, Harry has done a lot of things that are known all around the wizarding world. He's the winner of the last Tri-wizards tournament."  
  
"Hermione!" But Ron was then talking.  
  
"And he's the Boy-Who-Lived, everyone knows about him, he's the most famous wizard around next to yourself." He nodded to the Headmaster and let Hermione pick up.  
  
"And most importantly of all, he's the victor over Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore shook his head again at that information, it still was hard to believe.  
  
"A fifteen year old defeated Voldemort, incredible." Harry blushed and sank back into his seat.  
  
"Yeah, well, no big deal." His friends laughed at him.  
  
"Honestly Harry, you have fought against Voldemort to many times, you don't appreciate your duels with him anymore." Harry looked slightly annoyed.  
  
"Of course I don't, stupid bastard that he was. Can we now stop talking about it, we have other problems right now." Dumbledore's face became serious.  
  
"If Voldemort's not our problem, who is?" Before anyone could answer, a soft knock rang through the room.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, 


	24. Future and Past mix

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
A/N: Just for the following chapters, I will be using Sirius and Remus referring to the future people.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
The headmaster looked around wondering who could be at the door, he noticed no one seemed to know either so he called out,"Come in."  
  
The door opened to reveal an older looking Dumbledore, accompanied by another witch and wizard. The old man strode into the room, a small smile on his lips. The three teenagers quickly stood up, although Harry wavered a little, quickly steadying himself against the chair. (I'll be using Dumbledore for the future wizard and headmaster for the past.)  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!"  
  
"I hope we are not interrupting anything." Dumbledore looked around once more, nodding towards Ryan, Daniel and Ethan and then looking at the past teachers. He motioned to the two people standing behind him. "In case you haven't recognised them, these are Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall and Arthur Weasley." Both nodded at the room and then the headmaster walked towards Harry and took the boy into his arms, giving him a big hug.  
  
"How are you feeling, child?" Harry smiled slightly and buried his head in Dumbledore's robes, returning the warm hug.  
  
"I'm feeling fine, sir." Dumbledore put his hands on the boy's shoulders and drew him a little away, looking him over carefully. "You look tired Harry, have you been having enough rest?"  
  
The boy rolled his eyes and smiled at the older man. "I have spent nearly all week in bed, Sirius and Madam Pomfrey insisted."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, he still looked concerned but let the matter rest. While he was talking to Harry, Minerva had moved to talk with Ryan and Daniel, while Arthur was now talking with his sons and Hermione. Dumbledore moved a little and allowed Harry to lean against his side, with his arm comfortably around the young teenager's shoulders. His eyes then drifted to the stunned death eaters, the smile disappearing from his face.  
  
"I see you finally caught Pettigrew, Harry." The room's attention turned to him and Dumbledore turned to Ryan and Daniel. "I'm really surprised to see he's still alive. I thought you two would have killed him by now." The two men blushed a little and looked down. Finally Remus spoke.  
  
"We were about to, Albus, but Harry took our wands."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled softly and ruffled the boy's hair. "You know them to well, Harry."  
  
Harry shrugged and buried his head deeper into the man's side. Ryan looked at the two with a faint smile on his lips.  
  
"By the way, Harry, are we getting our wands back anytime soon?"  
  
The boy laughed, took the wands out of his pocket and tossed them to his guardians. "There, happy?"  
  
The two men scowled playfully at him and put their wands away. The headmaster had looked at all this in amusement till he finally centred his attention to Dumbledore.  
  
"Excuse me, why are you here?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled gently at his past self. "I just received Harry's letter and we came to collect the death eaters, they can't stay here, they belong to our time. And we wanted to check on our friends."  
  
He stayed silent for a few moments and then turned to Ryan. "Has anyone seen Severus yet?"  
  
Ryan scowled but nodded. "He came by earlier, just after the attack, Malfoy already knows about us, and he's not happy about it. Severus said they would be attacking around Christmas."  
  
Dumbledore looked pensive and then nodded. "I see, I'll talk to Fudge, see if I can get the help of some Aurors."  
  
Harry pulled back a little and looked worriedly at his mentor.  
  
"But, Sir, if Fudge finds out you have been tampering with time by sending us back here he might get angry and give you trouble."  
  
Dumbledore smiled slightly at the boy and drew him back against him. "Hush child, don't worry about the Minister, I know how to handle him. If he gives me trouble I can sent some other students or teachers." His smile then widened. "I'm sure the Weasley twins would love to come back." The older Minerva snapped her head up and looked at him terrified. (Minerva for the future one and McGonagall for the past.)  
  
"Albus! You can't be serious, the twins are nearly worse then the marauders, Hogwarts wouldn't survive all of them here at the same time."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled softly.  
  
"Now Minerva, I'm sure Harry, Ron and Hermione could make sure the twins behaved themselves." Remus snorted from behind him, causing Dumbledore to look at him with raised eyebrows.  
  
"No offence, Albus, but you didn't see these three making everyone in the great hall turn into some colour this morning at breakfast, and we had to stay that way for hours!"  
  
The three teenagers blushed a little under the professor's gaze, while Dumbledore looked at them with twinkling eyes, not looking very surprised. "And may I ask why you did that? You usually don't pull massive pranks, except on Slytherins." Harry sitiffened up a little in Dumbledore's arms, still not looking at him.  
  
"We kind of had a bet with Fred and George."  
  
Dumbledore laughed.  
  
"I'm sure I don't want to know what the bet was about, but seeing they can influence you this way it may be safer for Hogwarts if they stay in the future." Minerva sighed in relieve, causing the future people to laugh. "Well, we'll see what we do, if anyone comes back I'll make sure to warn you beforehand." Everyone nodded to Dumbledore.  
  
The old man's eyes settled on the sorting hat and he smiled.  
  
"Tell me children, how was the sorting?" The three teenagers looked up at him slightly confused and Hermione answered him.  
  
"It was ok, why?"  
  
"Oh, nothing, I've always wondered if the sorting hat would stay by his decision if we got all students sorted again." The children chuckled a little and Ron was the one to talk this time.  
  
"Well, it doesn't, the sorting hat wanted to put me in Hufflepuff."  
  
"And it wanted to put me in Ravenclaw, honestly!" Dumbledore smiled at them and looked at the last teenager, sensing his gaze, Harry looked up and smiled at him.  
  
"It couldn't decide where to put me, the hat said I fit in the four houses." Dumbledore nodded, a pensive look replacing his smile.  
  
"That's curious, oh well, it doesn't matter that much, are you still all in Gryffindor?" The three nodded with big smiles on their faces.  
  
"Yeah, although we had to bully it into pulling us in there. I think he was quite frustrated by us." Before the old wizard could answer Harry's statement, Minerva cut in.  
  
"Albus, we are getting side-tracked. We need to tell them what's going on and the children should go to their common rooms, they look exhausted."  
  
Ron and Hermione forcefully protested at this. Harry didn't say anything, he just leaned deeper into Dumbledore's arms, resting his head against the man's chest. Now that he didn't need to worry about anything else he suddenly felt very tired and was glad to be able to let his mentor take charge.  
  
Dumbledore looked worriedly at the child, holding his frail body against him gently, he traded a concerned look with Ryan. The younger man looked worried and tired, this obviously had also been a difficult week for him.  
  
Turning to Minerva, Dumbledore instructed her:  
  
"Minerva, go with Ron and Hermione to the Gryffindor tower, make sure they go in. And you two rest, ok?"  
  
The two teenagers pouted but followed their professor when she walked out of the office.  
  
"Arthur, you, Sirius, Remus and Charlie tell everyone what's going on. I'll bring Harry to his room. I want to talk with him for a while." Without waiting for an answer he left the room with Harry walking at his side.  
  
The halls were silent, all students were in their common rooms and not even the ghosts were roaming the halls. While they walked, Dumbledore found himself supporting more and more of the boy's weight and wondered how Harry was really holding up. It took them ten minutes to reach the room and Dumbledore gently pulled Harry inside the warm room.  
  
"Go put on your pj's and get in bed, Harry."  
  
The boy nodded and stumbled to his room, closing the door behind him. Ten minutes later, when he was just laying down, Dumbledore came in and sat next to him on the bed, just like he had done many times after Voldemort's demise.  
  
The old man looked him over carefully and asked. "How are you feeling, Harry? And this time the truth, please." Harry sighed a little and looked at him.  
  
"I feel tired, but I always feel this way nowadays, I'm beginning to hate it."  
  
Dumbledore nodded seriously and looked at him. Then he shook his head a little. "Harry, you know you don't need to pretend when you're around me, I don't expect you to act like a leader, you can be yourself, I wont think any less of you because of it."  
  
Harry sighed a little and curled up against Dumbledore. "I'm so sick of being tired, how can I protect my parents if I can barely protect my self? If Ron hadn't been there to warn me about Wormtail he could have easily killed me. And I wished so much to just let Sirius and Remus kill the rat and get it over with, why did I have to be the one to stop them, why couldn't they do it by themselves?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed sadly and stroked his head gently.  
  
"I don't know, Harry, I think they just hate him to much to be able to think rationally about it." He stayed quiet for a while and then softly said, "Maybe you should come back to the future for a while."  
  
Harry tried to sit up but Dumbledore's hands gently pushed him back into the pillows. "Hush, child, you know I only want the best for you and I'm very worried you will not get the peace you need to fully recuperate here. Even if the big attack is at Christmas, the death eaters will be attacking regularly, you know it as well as I do, and you also know you'll get involved."  
  
Harry looked away and curled up a little.  
  
"I know professor, but I still want to stay here, unless you're ordering me to come back." Harry looked up at the old wizard who shook his head.  
  
"No Harry, I'm not ordering it. At least not yet. But I want you to rest. Tomorrow you're not going to class and you'll stay here resting, is that understood?"  
  
"Yes, sir, thanks for letting me stay."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and stood up. He drew the covers over Harry and gently tucked him in.  
  
"Go to sleep now, child, I'll be checking on you next week." Harry smiled and closed his eyes, a feeling of warmth and safety spreading through his limbs when Dumbledore kissed his forehead and left the room.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta readers Tanya Krogfoss and Gates. 


	25. Questions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
After Dumbledore had left the room, everyone stayed silent. The past professors were slightly stunned at the way Harry and Dumbledore were around each other, yet none of their future friends seemed even slightly surprised.  
  
Danielle was the first to break the silence. "Excuse me."  
  
The four future men left in the room turned their attention to her and Daniel took charge now that Dumbledore and Harry had left. "Yes? Is something wrong?"  
  
The woman shook her head. "No, not really. I was just wondering if you are sure that man is Albus."  
  
The Remus exchanged a confused look with his friends. "Yes, of course, why do you ask?"  
  
Danielle blushed a little but knew the others in the room were just as curious. "It's just I think he behaved a little odd."  
  
"Odd in which way?"  
  
"Well, he hugged Harry, and called him child and all that. I have never seen Dumbledore act that way towards a student and I can't imagine he would have changed that much."  
  
With a dawning understanding, the men chuckled and Ryan answered. "Yeah, well, he only behaves this way towards Harry, and never in front of the student body. Albus always has had a soft spot for the boy and over the years he has grown very fond of him. He has been the boy's mentor since his first year, and Harry's confidant after his fourth. They are very close." Sirius looked at the rest of the teachers and saw they didn't understand so he tried to explain what had caused the closeness between the headmaster and Harry. "You see, Harry's life has never been easy. First he lost his parents at a very young age and was forced to live with people who despised him, then he suddenly learned he was a wizard, and a very famous one at that. He has had to fight Voldemort since he began to attend Hogwarts. Harry is also always looking out for others, but tends to neglect to take care of himself. He needed the support of someone, someone to look out for him and protect him when he didn't do so and Dumbledore was more than able and willing to provide that."  
  
The headmaster sat back in his seat. He didn't know the boy well, nor he did know the things he had gone through. Yet he knew it was entirely possible he would be willing to help him; there was something about Harry that made him very protective of him.  
  
But there were some things he didn't understand and wondered if he even should ask. Finally his curiosity won out and he looked at Ryan. "There's something I don't understand Sirius. You are the boy's godfather. Why then did he turn to me and not to you?"  
  
Sirius's face became pained and he shot Wormtail a murderous glance. "I didn't have the chance to be around Harry till his third year, and even then I barely could talk to him. Harry needed someone who could be at his side permanently, and help him when he needed it."  
  
"Why couldn't you be there?"  
  
"I prefer not to talk about that, Sir. Lets just say I have more against Wormtail than just James and Lily's deaths."  
  
The headmaster nodded and then looked at Daniel. "And you, Remus? Couldn't you have helped him?"  
  
The man looked blankly at him and in a flat, resigned voice answered. "I'm a werewolf, remember? The Ministry would have done something very harsh had I tried to become close to Harry."  
  
The headmaster frowned. "You're one of James's best friends, and a fully trained wizard, I'm sure you could have thought of something to keep Harry safe on full moons."  
  
Remus smirked. "Tell Fudge that."  
  
"Why do I get the impression you don't like our young Minister?"  
  
Sirius looked mad. "That idiot is already in charge? God help us."  
  
"Padfoot." Remus's admonish only received an annoyed glance from Sirius, as Arthur quickly answered the headmaster.  
  
"None of us like our Minister, if you can call him that, very much. He ignored the fact that Voldemort had..." He stopped short and shook his head. "Never mind that. It's not important."  
  
"And my future self doesn't like him either?"  
  
Remus snorted. "Dumbledore? He has nearly broken all connections between the school and the Ministry. Last time Fudge visited he got Dumbledore and the teachers so mad that they cursed him on the spot. Honestly, trying to get Harry in St. Mugos because he was mentally unstable. That boy is more sane than most and that idiot wanted to lock him up because he was jealous of his popularity. I still wish I had been there. I hear McGonagall turned him into one of Hagrids Blast-ended Screws."  
  
An amused voice came from the door. "It was no big deal, although it was a funny sight." Minerva entered the room and sat down in the chair Ron had been sitting in before. "He really had it coming. Honestly, how stupid can you be to tell Dumbledore, of all people, that Harry is mentally unstable and should be locked up. Even Snape cursed the fool and you know how much Harry and him loathe each other. But may I ask why we are talking about that idiot?"  
  
Remus smiled at her. "It just came up. We were commenting on Albus's behaviour around Harry."  
  
Minerva's face softened. "I see, Harry is simply the grandson Albus never had." The four men nodded and her face suddenly became serious. "Now then, we have more serious matters to discuss."  
  
In a few minutes, Minerva had explained to their past counterparts about the death eaters and what they wanted.  
  
When she finished the room remained silent until the headmaster broke it. "I understand. But why have you sent students and teachers instead of Aurors?"  
  
Minerva shrugged her shoulders. "Easy. Aurors would necessitate telling Fudge and Albus didn't want to do that unless it became necessary. Besides, I'm sure you can provide the necessary Aurors from your own time. What we needed here were people who could keep a close eye on James and Lily. What better way than have teachers and students watching them?  
  
The headmaster nodded, but still he wasn't satisfied. "Ok, then why these in particular?"  
  
Ryan smiled mischievously. "Daniel and I are obvious. We know Lily and James better than anyone else."  
  
The Ethan spoke for the first time. "As for me, I have been fighting against Voldemort for quite a long time. Besides, my family has an intimate relationship with Harry. Hell, he's the eighth kid my parents never had."  
  
"And the kids? Is it really wise to have Harry here?"  
  
Ryan sighed. "That depends on how you look at it. Objectively it's very good to have him here in that he's stronger than all of us and always knows when there's something going on. Subjectively I'm not that sure, I don't really know what will happen when we have to return."  
  
"He's not only physically strong, Padfoot, he has gone through a lot, more than anyone his age should. We just will have to hope he takes leaving James and Lily behind the same way he has taken everything else."  
  
"We'll see, Moony, we'll see."  
  
"You haven't told me about Ron and Hermione yet."  
  
Everyone turned to the headmaster once again and Minerva answered him. "They are Harry's best friends, a position that entails a lot of danger. We had to give them special training, meaning they are more capable of handle this kind of situations than other wizards their age. Besides they would have found a way to come here once they heard Harry was in trouble, there's no way to keep those three apart."  
  
Just then the door to the office opened and Dumbledore came in looking very worried.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. 


	26. Worries

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers In The Past  
  
Sirius immediately grew worried; he didn't like seeing concern in the old headmaster's face. "Is something wrong with Harry, Albus?"  
  
The old man sighed and sat down next to Minerva. "I'm worried about him, Sirius. He's tired, very tired, and not only physically. The last fight took a lot out of him. I don't know if it was such a good idea to let him come."  
  
Sirius shook his head sadly. "It's what he wanted, Albus, he had the right to come if he wished to do so."  
  
"I know, Sirius, I know." The old wizard looked up at his younger friend. "I have ordered Harry to stay in bed tomorrow. Please make sure he does so."  
  
Sirius nodded. "We will headmaster."  
  
Dumbledore stood up once again and looked around. "We will be back next week to check on you. If Harry's condition hasn't improved by then, I'll take him back with me to the future so he can regain his strength." In an after thought he asked. "Is that alright with you, Sirius?"  
  
"Sure, but why are you waiting? Why not take him there right now?"  
  
"I asked him if he wanted to return but he said he wanted to stay. Besides, right now we are having our share of problems over there. Reporters continue to look for him. They are still insisting on interviewing him. Rita Skeeter has been giving us lots of problems and if someone found out Harry was at Hogwarts, he wouldn't have a single moment of peace."  
  
Ethan had been listening intently and frowned. "She has broken her promise to Hermione, then?"  
  
Everyone turned to him. Dumbledore had a slight frown etched across his face. "What are you talking about, Charlie?"  
  
"Well, last summer I heard the three kids talking about her. I didn't hear what it was about, I just caught the part where Hermione said she had found out something about Skeeter and had made a deal with her so that Rita would not write any untruths, providing, Hermione didn't spill her secret."  
  
Minerva snorted softly. "Well, she certainly broke her promise. Do you know what Hermione had against her? Maybe we could use it to keep her quite"  
  
Charlie shook his head. "Sorry, but I didn't catch it and when I asked, they refused to tell me. But I will ask one of them again. Maybe now that Skeeter has broken her promise they will be willing to tell us."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, do that, please." He turned towards the two Death Eaters who had remained unconscious for the whole time and put a levitating charm on them. Then he turned to Arthur and Minerva, who stood up. "We should go now." The old man turned to the others that had been listening silently. "Please, trust our people. They are very skilled and will do their best to keep you safe."  
  
The teachers nodded in acceptance and with a final nod towards the future people, Dumbledore walked out of the room followed by Minerva, Arthur and the two floating Death Eaters.  
  
Once the door closed behind the teachers, Sirius sighed and looked around. Most of the staff was lost in thought and he realised that they would not be asking any more questions tonight, so he turned to Daniel and motioned for him. "Let's get going, Daniel, I want to check on Harry."  
  
Remus nodded. "Sure, Ryan." The werewolf turned to the staff. "We'll see you tomorrow. If you need us, you know where to find us."  
  
They said goodbye to Ethan, who had decided to stay just in case something happened, and left the room silently.  
  
In their quarters, Sirius immediately moved to the closed door of his godson's bedroom. Silently he opened it and slipped into the dimmed area. The boy was snuggled into his blankets, a peaceful look on his face. Sirius stayed a few minutes there, just looking at Harry, wondering what would happen from then on. He turned when he heard the door open and saw Remus come in. The werewolf moved to stand next to him and also looked down on the sleeping child. Then he looked up at Sirius's concerned face and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"It's going to be alright, Padfoot."  
  
His best friend sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "I know, but it's hard to see him always that exhausted. It seems he's starting to get better and then something like this happens. And he has changed so much. I feel like I've lost the child I had just gained."  
  
"You know that's not true, Sirius, it's still Harry"  
  
"A much more withdrawn, Harry."  
  
Remus sighed. He didn't know what he could say to calm his friend's fears. "Sirius, it's barely been a month since the attack, he hasn't had time to deal with what's happened, considering he was unconscious most of the time. You need to let everything sink in. Being here is probably making it that much more difficult."  
  
Sirius shook his head angrily. "Albus should have taken him back with him, it would have given him time to rest."  
  
"Albus didn't want to force things right now, Harry has the right to decide what he wants to do as long as it doesn't hurt him."  
  
Sirius growled a tad frustrated. "I'm not that sure this isn't hurting him."  
  
"I know, Sirius, but right now I think that a swarm of reporters would be far worse and Dumbledore can't watch him all the time. It probably would be much more stressful than staying here."  
  
Sirius sighed in defeat and nodded. "I guess you're right. We'll just have to help him here as much as we can. I'm sure Albus will come up with some solution. He always does."  
  
Remus nodded and looked back at the boy laying in bed, oblivious to the whispering conversation his guardians had just had. "Lets go to sleep, Sirius. It won't help if we are tired tomorrow."  
  
The other man nodded. He bent over his godson and kissed the boy's check softly. "Good night, Kido."  
  
Both men left the room as silently as they had come in, when Sirius close the door he had just time to see Echo returning and settle down next to Harry.  
  
Next morning, Ron and Hermione made their way to the great hall sleepily. They hadn't been able to catch much sleep, worried as they were about Harry. They walked in silence, surrounded by many whispers of the other students. Younger students were looking at them in awe, while the older ones stepped out of their way to let them pass. Many times Ron had to fight the urge to roll his eyes and shout to the lot of them to act normal. Luckily, he was more or less used to this thanks to his long friendship with Harry, although normally it was his black-haired friend who caught the attention. Hermione, who walked at his side, also ignored everyone. That was the best way to deal with this: just ignore everyone and wait till they realised how stupid they were acting.  
  
Ron and Hermione sat down in the Gryffindor table and noticed Ryan and Daniel had yet to show up at the teacher's table. Ethan was already in a deep conversation with professor Flitwick.  
  
A voice startled both of them out of their thoughts. "Hey."  
  
Both teenagers looked up and smiled. "Hello Sirius, hello James."  
  
The two Marauders returned their smiles and sat down in front of them. James looked around and frowned lightly. "Where's Harry?"  
  
Immediately, Hermione looked worried. "We don't know, we haven't seen him since yesterday."  
  
"Harry won't be coming today." The four teenagers turned around and were faced with Daniel. "He was very tired from the fight yesterday, and you know his health isn't that great right now. Ryan insisted he stayed put for today, possibly tomorrow, too. It depends on how he's feeling." Looking at the concerned faces of the teenagers he smiled. "If he's awake later you can go see him, I'm sure Ryan won't mind."  
  
The four friends smiled a little relieved and waved when Daniel walked away.  
  
James seemed excited by the prospect of talking to Harry again. "Hey, it will be so cool, I haven't had the chance to talk much with him. He's a hero now, you know, he saved Dumbledore and all that."  
  
Hermione and Ron groaned and put their heads in their hands. The redhead muttered. "Yeah, we know, it's kind of a normal thing for him."  
  
But neither Marauder heard him, as they were already talking about what they wanted to ask Harry.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. 


	27. Comforting

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers In The Past:  
  
Sirius entered the dimmed room once again. It was now a few hours past lunch and Harry hadn't even stirred. He was becoming worried. Remus was off to teach one of his classes and had left him alone to watch over the boy.  
  
A soft knock startled him from his pacing. "Come in."  
  
The door opened and Dumbledore came in. "Hello, Ryan."  
  
"Hello, headmaster."  
  
"I noticed you and Daniel were not at lunch and wondered if something was wrong."  
  
Sirius sighed and sat down in one of the armchairs. Dumbledore took a place in front of him. "Harry has not awakened yet, and I'm getting worried. I knew he was tired, but I hadn't realised it was this bad."  
  
Dumbledore looked concerned. "Maybe we should ask for Madam Pomfrey to have a look at him?"  
  
Sirius nodded and watched as the headmaster walked to the fire and summoned the nurse. She was there a few minutes later, her wand ready in her hand. Sirius led his two companions to his godson's room. Harry was silently laying in the large bed covered up to his chin with a red blanket. Godric was perched on the headboard, sleeping, just like his master was. Echo and Derek had left, most likely to get something to eat since they had stayed with Harry nearly all night. Madam Pomfrey immediately rushed to his side and began muttering spells. It took her about ten minutes before she rejoined Sirius and Dumbledore at the head of the bed.  
  
"Well, as far as I can tell he's more or less ok, just exhausted. He still has a few of the after effects of the Cruciatus curse on him, but they are slowly diminishing while he sleeps."  
  
Sirius frowned in confusion. "The Cruciatus?"  
  
Dumbledore turned to him and nodded. "Wormtail put him under it yesterday. It didn't seem to have much effect on him, though."  
  
Sirius cursed in his mind. He hadn't even noticed. He'd been too focussed on the Death Eater he'd been watching, and then on Wormtail, to notice his godson was in pain. He also was slightly annoyed with Harry. Why did the boy always have to put up that brave facade of his? It was really difficult to look through it and Sirius was sure he had been fooled more than once. He shook his head and turned to Madam Pomfrey. "What should we do?"  
  
The nurse smiled gently at him. "Just let him sleep it off. I think he'll wake up tomorrow, but if he doesn't, call me. I'll also be sending you some more potion. Make him drink it and keep him in bed at least until Friday."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Ok, and thanks."  
  
"You're welcome. I'll see you later."  
  
She left the room and Dumbledore followed her out, reminding Sirius that if he needed something he only had to call. Sirius closed the door after them and sat down. He knew there was nothing he could do but wait.  
  
A soft sound woke Harry up. He could hear Godric singing softly from somewhere above his head. He was feeling better than he had before and briefly wondered how long he had been sleeping. He felt too rested for it to have been only a few hours. Stretching his sore muscles, he sat up. The Cruciatus had left him stiff and more worn out than he had felt for a long time. Remembering his promise to Dumbledore, he laid back down, knowing Sirius would throw a fit if he disobeyed the headmaster. He turned to his side and looked at the still singing Godric. The bird flew down and landed next to him. As Harry petted his soft, warm feathers and he felt comforted by his presence. The pain that ached his body left. A soft sound made him turn around and he saw Sirius standing at the door, wearing a concerned look. With a few strides, his godfather was at his side and had gathered him in a strong hug.  
  
"Harry, are you alright?"  
  
Harry relaxed in the embrace. "I'm fine, Sirius, no need to worry."  
  
Sirius backed away a little, still keeping his arms around his godson and looked at him incredulously. "You sleep for nearly two days and then tell me not to be worried? Sorry, kid, but I can't do that."  
  
Harry blushed a little. "Sorry, I hadn't realised I had slept that long."  
  
Sirius shook his head, finally a small smile coming to his lips. "That's alright, but I suppose you know what that means?"  
  
Harry looked at him wearily. "That means I'll be staying cooped up in my room until you or Madam Pomfrey says I'm okay to go."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Yes, but if you're good, I'll make you a bed in the living room and you can stay there."  
  
Harry immediately perked up and he looked at his godfather pleadingly. "Please?"  
  
Sirius laughed and put his hands up. "Ok, ok, you stay in here and I'll make up the couch. Then I'll call the house-elves to bring you something to eat."  
  
Harry smiled and nodded. He hadn't realized how hungry he was. Sirius returned shortly and picked him up. Harry considered protesting, but didn't want to risk it. He didn't want to stay closed in his room any longer than necessary. After Sirius had tucked him in, he handed him a tray full of food and sat down.  
  
When Harry was halfway through his meal, Sirius finally spoke. "Dumbledore told me you don't want to go back to the future, even if it's for a little while."  
  
Harry lowered his fork and looked down.  
  
"Is it because you want to be here with your parents?"  
  
"Well, that's part of it. I guess I'm afraid he will send me… there."  
  
Sirius frowned in confusion. "There? Where, Harry?"  
  
Harry answered in a small voice. "The Dursleys."  
  
"Oh, Harry, Dumbledore wouldn't do that."  
  
Harry looked up sharply. "Why not? You won't be there and neither will Remus! Dumbledore always insists that I stay with them." After a short silence he spoke again with a small, subdued voice. "I don't think I could take it this time with everything that's happened."  
  
Sirius didn't answer, instead, he stood up and took the tray from his godson's lap and put it on the table. Then he picked the boy up from the couch like he was a small child and sat him on his lap, wrapping his arms around him. Harry snuggled closer, putting his head on his godfather's shoulder.  
  
"Listen, Kido. I don't know exactly what reasons were for Dumbledore sending you to those muggles, but I know it had something to do with Voldemort. Now that he's gone, I don't think there's any reason for you to have to stay with your relatives if you don't want to. I'm rather sure Dumbledore would want to keep you close to him at Hogwarts if you went back."  
  
Harry thought about it for a while, but then nodded. "I guess, but I still prefer staying here with you, even if you're annoying sometimes."  
  
Sirius laughed softly and gently ruffled Harry's hair. "It's not that I'm not happy to have you here, Harry, I'm just worried this will be too much for you right now. You've already gone through so much."  
  
Harry snuggled closer against Sirius's chest and looked intensely at the fire. "Sirius, I'm not made of glass, I can take it."  
  
Sirius's reply was rather dry. "If you were made of glass, Harry, I would have had to gather the shards a long time ago."  
  
Harry frowned. "That's not funny."  
  
Sirius looked at him intensely. "No, but it's the truth."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta readers Gates and Tanya. 


	28. Chatting with the marauders

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers In The Past  
  
A knock on the door broke the silence. With a small sigh Ryan stood, Harry cradled in his arms a moment, and he put the boy back on the couch, tucking him in with the blanket that had fallen on the floor. He went to open the door and was not very surprised to see Ron and Hermione standing there. They were both looking at him anxiously. They had been very worried when Harry hadn't woken up the day before. He was more surprised, however, when he spotted the Marauders and Lily behind them. He looked at his godson's best friends, but they ignored his silent question, more worried about Harry.  
  
Hermione tried to smile at him. "Hello, Ryan, is Harry awake?"  
  
Sirius returned her smile gently and stepped aside to allow the two teenagers to go in. "Yes, he woke up some time ago."  
  
Hermione hadn't even heard him, she had spotted Harry lying on the couch and had launched herself at him, sobbing into his shoulder and gripping him in a tight hug. Ron walked in confidently and quickly made his way to Harry and Hermione's side, joining them in a three-way hug. Ryan smiled at this. He was always happy to see how loyal and caring his godson's friends were towards him. Then, remembering the other teenagers, he turned to them. He could easily tell they were uncomfortable. He knew for a fact they never went to a teacher's room without being in trouble. Ryan motioned for them to come in, trying to put them at ease with a gentle smile. It was difficult to keep his composure with James and Lily in the same room, and even more difficult to not kill Peter on the spot, but if he could manage them in a classroom full of children he should be able to manage them here. Centring his attention once again on the trio, he walked back to the couch. The Marauder followed him, curiously looking around. Ron looked up and smiled, a little embarrassed at his display of affection. Ryan smiled back at him and after kissing Harry's cheek he walked to his room. "I'll be in my room if you need me, kids. Don't tire Harry out, okay?"  
  
A chorus of yes's could be heard as he closed the door.  
  
After Ryan left them alone, the Marauders moved in closer and sat down next to Ron, who was now sitting on the floor in front of the couch.  
  
Ron was the first to break the silence. "Hey mate, how are you doing?"  
  
Hermione let go of Harry's waist, and sat down between Ron and Remus. The black-haired boy smiled at them, his features still showing the tiredness he felt. "I'm fine, Ron, just rather sick of having to be in bed so much. I won't be able to go back to class for at least two more days."  
  
Ron raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Why don't you just sneak out? You always did that with the school nurse."  
  
Harry snorted. "You're underestimating Ryan. He always seems to know when I am about to get up and he's told me that for every time he catches me out of bed I'll have to spent another day locked up in here."  
  
Ron and Hermione began to snicker while the other teenagers looked torn between amusement and admiration for their teacher.  
  
Ron was finally able to talk. "That's a good one. I didn't think anyone would be able to make you stay in a bed against your will. Ryan really knows what to say to make you listen to him."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?" Harry sighed when everyone laughed again. "Anyway, what's been happening these last few days? How have people been reacting to the attack?"  
  
Ron smirked, clearly amused, and in a sing-song voice answered him. "Oh, Harry, it was wonderful! Just like at home."  
  
Hermione covered her mouth with a hand to muffle her laugh. The Marauders looked confused; they were starting to feel a little left out. Lastly, Harry was looking suspiciously at his best friends. "Ok, out with it, what do you mean?"  
  
Hermione finally controlled her laugh and answered instead of Ron. "When Ron and I went downstairs yesterday, everyone was just gaping at us."  
  
Ron quickly put in. "Yeah, wait till you come back down, it will be just like the good, old times."  
  
Harry groaned in exasperation and rolled onto his back, wrapping an arm over his eyes. "Why does this always happen to me?"  
  
James's voice answered his rhetorical question. "Well, you saved Dumbledore and stunned two Death Eaters. You're pretty much the hero of the whole school now."  
  
Harry looked at his future father and fought the urge to gag, the last thing he needed now was all this stupid hero-worship. He turned to his side and looked at the Marauders pleadingly. "Please, tell me you're planning to act normally around me. I really hate all that worshipping people seem to like so much. I wasn't really thinking that night, it was all some kind of instinct."  
  
The Marauders looked at him a little surprised, they had seldom meet someone that didn't want the school's attention, but even so, they nodded, telling him he was just their friend, and that he didn't need to worry. Harry looked relieved. After that was out of the way, the conversation became much more relaxed. Harry was talking with Remus about a book on dark creatures he had just read a few days ago when he noticed Sirius wander to one side of the room, hiding something behind his back. When Sirius reached a corner of the room he shouted, "Hey guys!"  
  
Everyone turned to him and he took a spray bottle from behind his back. With lightning fast reflexes, Harry rolled on the couch, took a deep breath and buried his head in the pillows, just when Sirius started to put the spray around the room. Thirty seconds later, Harry could hear squeals of laughter ringing through the room, he waited for a while longer, before looking up and seeing everyone laughing their eyes out, rolling on the ground. Unfortunately for Sirius, Ron had tackled him, making him breathe the spray and becoming the victim of his own prank. Harry had been sitting up slightly, amusedly watching his friends, when Daniel came in and took in the strange scene before him. A little confused, he walked over to Harry and looked at him questioningly, promptly joined by Ryan who had been wondering what all the ruckus was about.  
  
"What's going on, Harry?"  
  
His godson smiled mischievously at him. "Well, it seems Sirius wanted to have a good laugh and sprayed the room with that new laughing spray. Sadly for him, he got tackled by Ron and had to breathe some of the spray himself."  
  
The two men nodded in understanding and then Daniel turned to him. "And you, Harry?"  
  
The boy shrugged. "I saw him moving to the corner and was prepared for it."  
  
Ryan rolled his eyes and ruffled his hair. "Sometimes you're too observant for your own good."  
  
Harry smiled up at his godfather and then turned to look at his friends again.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks at Tanya and Gates for their beta reading. 


	29. Death

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
It didn't take long for the effects of the spray to wear off. They gathered themselves, Sirius sitting a little apart from the others, as they all looked him a tad annoyed.  
  
Sirius focused Harry. The dark haired boy had turned on his side once again and was looking his companions over with a small smile on his lips. Before Sirius could say anything about Harry evading his prank, Ryan caught his eye, looking at him sternly. "What did I say about being carefully with Harry?"  
  
Sirius dropped his eyes in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Sir."  
  
Ryan regarded him a moment longer, even as all other kids were silently looking at the older man reprimanding Sirius. Finally, Ryan nodded. "Make sure that doesn't happen again."  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
After a final glance to his godson, Ryan returned to his room with Daniel, leaving a now silent room behind. When the door closed behind them, Harry turned to Sirius and smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry too much about Ryan, Sirius. He doesn't really mind pranks, it's just he's a little overprotective."  
  
Ron snorted. "That's the understatement of the year, Harry." The redhead saw the Marauders were still seemed a little uncomfortable and tried to lighten the tension in the room. "Well, you have learned your first lesson, guys? Never try to trick Harry; it never works. Especially not if Ryan's around."  
  
James and Sirius exchanged confused looks. Finally James spoke. "Why shouldn't we try to trick Harry?"  
  
Hermione laughed evilly. "Well, you can try, of course. It's just that after a year of careful observation, we have come to the conclusion that it's safer not to try. It always backfires."  
  
Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if you had seen what he did to my twin brothers the day they tried to turn him into a bat. You really shouldn't try."  
  
"Aw, Ron, you shouldn't say that to them. Let them try. It was hilarious seeing your brothers running around backwards with "I'm a crab" written on their chests."  
  
Both teenagers snickered again at the memory. But quieted down, though, when they didn't hear Harry laughing. Hermione's face softened when she turned to look at her best friend. He had fallen asleep on the couch, one of his arms hanging limply from his side. The Marauders also stopped laughing when they saw, and Ron stood up. "We should go. I'm going to let Ryan know."  
  
Hermione and the others nodded and began to leave while Ron knocked on Ryan's door.  
  
"Come in!"  
  
Ron did so and saw Ryan and Daniel sitting on the bed, talking quietly. They both smiled at the boy when he came in.  
  
"Something wrong?"  
  
"No, Daniel, Harry just fell asleep on the couch, so we're going back to the common room."  
  
Ryan thanked him and the three walked out of the room together. Ron met up with his friends and closed the door behind them as they left. Ryan walked to the couch and gently lifted Harry up into his arms and took him to his room.  
  
Through the following days, Harry was forced to stay in his room, being watched regularly by Ryan or Daniel while he regained his strength. Luckily, this time Ryan allowed him to do some homework and every evening Ron and Hermione came to talk to him for a while, sometimes bringing the Marauders along.  
  
When he finally was allowed to get back to class, Harry understood what Ron and Hermione had been talking about. It was like being 'The Boy Who Lived' all over again. People pointed at him and whispered, talking about all he had done that day not so long ago. Somehow, the fact that he had killed a basilisk over the summer holidays had come out adding to the mounting hero- worship that surrounded him as he walked through the halls. Once again, Ron and Hermione had taken up positions as his unofficial bodyguards, keeping the students at bay, the Marauders usually tagging along although they found all the attention amusing. Harry usually took solace in his room, grateful for the first time that he was not sleeping in the Gryffindor tower.  
  
To Ryan's dismay, however, all the attention caused Harry to become even more withdrawn. He tended to lock himself in his room, either reading or talking to his pets. Ron and Hermione came by as often as they could, but they had been asked to keep an eye on Lily and James so they couldn't stay with their friend as long as they would have liked. Sometimes, they were able to drag Harry out, if he was in a good mood, but it never took long for him to return.  
  
Harry came to the point where he asked Ryan if he was allowed to eat in his room, away from the great hall. His godfather sternly forbade it, and from that day made sure Harry went downstairs to eat. He couldn't let his godson retreat into himself any further.  
  
Ron, Hermione and Harry were making their way to the Great Hall to have dinner when a slight tinge went through Harry's scar. The raven-haired boy stopped short and looked around expectantly, his senses alert. Ron and Hermione had stopped next to him, a grim look on their faces, knowing that Harry thought something was wrong. Before they could question him about it, Harry began to run towards the doors that led outside and without missing a beat they followed him. Harry yanked the doors open and stepped outside. Immediately he spotted a small group of Death Eaters surrounding two students. He began to run towards them when he recognised the students. His father was standing in front of his mother in a protective fashion, shouting to one of the Death Eaters. In a slow motion, Harry saw the leader of the black robed men shout the killing curse and continued to run, faster then he had ever run before. The only thought in his mind was to get between his parents and that curse. With a last rush of adrenaline, he sprang in front of his parents, the green light slamming painfully into his chest. It sent him sprawling towards his parents' feet.  
  
He heard Lily shriek, Ron and Hermione shout, and then nothing.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta readers, Gates and Tanya. 


	30. The boy who still lives

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers In The Past  
  
After being forced back by Ron and Hermione, the remaining Death Eaters left, as they obviously had been unprepared to deal with the powerful teens. They both knelt next to Harry's body and Hermione started to look him over, relieved to find a weak, but steady pulse. Her friend had once again survived the killing curse. She always feared that one day, his gifted protection would fail and she would loose one of her best friends forever. She nodded slightly at Ron, letting him know Harry was still alive and then turned her attention to the other two teenagers.  
  
Lily was sobbing hysterically in James' arms, trying to avoid looking at the spot where Harry lay. James, on the other hand, was staring at the motionless boy with a stunned gaze. He could not figure out why this boy, practically a stranger, had given his life to protect them. Hermione turned her face to Ron when he spoke softly. "Hermione, take them to Dumbledore. We need to tell him what happened. The protection around here really sucks. I'll take Harry upstairs."  
  
Hermione nodded and stood up, quickly followed by Ron, who was now holding Harry in his arms. Ron was a little disturbed by how light his friend was, he knew he had grown over the summer, but even so, it shouldn't be possible for him to lift another boy his age so easily. With a last look at his friend, Ron turned around and walked up to the castle, leaving Hermione to deal with the two distraught teenagers. Once Harry and Ron had disappeared, Hermione turned to the couple and gently took James' arm. "Come on, you two, we need to get inside. We don't want to be here if more Death Eaters show up and Dumbledore needs to be informed about what happened."  
  
Both teenagers nodded, Lily still firmly pressed against James's side. Once inside, Hermione led her two friends to the great Hall, were everyone was still eating. All students stopped talking when they came in. Dumbledore frowned and stood up, soon followed by Daniel, Ryan, Ethan and Minerva. Hermione dragged the two to a spot in front of Dumbledore before finally letting go of James' arm.  
  
The headmaster looked even more worried when he saw Lily's red eyes. "What happened?"  
  
Before Hermione had the chance to answer, James spoke. "Death Eaters… Harry is dead."  
  
Startled cries rang around the room. Many were stunned, some girls burst into tears while their companions looked disbelieving at each other. Most of the teachers appeared horrified. The fact that Death Eaters could enter the school grounds so easily was a very serious matter. Ryan looked like he was about to pass out, but Daniel's firm hand on his shoulder steadied him. He looked up at his friend. Daniel was looking intensely at Hermione's calm face. The girl looked straight back at him as he mouthed: "Killing Curse?"  
  
Hermione nodded slightly, a small smile on her lips that helped reassure her friends. Daniel and Ethan immediately began to move. Pretending to be supporting Ryan, the three men walked slowly out of the hall, watched by the teachers with sadness. No one had noticed the silent conversation that had gone on between Hermione and them. The girl turned her attention back to Dumbledore who was quietly questioning James and Lily. When he finished, he turned to Hermione, and was somewhat surprised to see her looking so calm. He had thought she and Harry were rather close.  
  
Hermione told him what happened. Her story was not much different from the one the other two teenagers had told. After that, he sent all students to their common rooms and asked the teachers to gather in the staff room. While dealing out orders, Dumbledore noticed Hermione walking away in the opposite direction of Gryffindor's common room. No doubt, she was going to Ryan's room.  
  
Hermione muttered the password as soon as she arrived. When she entered the room, Hermione smiled at the sight that greeted her. Ryan was sitting on the couch, with Harry's head resting on his lap. The older man was stroking the unconscious boy's face, all the while muttering how Harry was going to give him a heart attack some day. Ron and Ethan were sitting on the ground in front of the couch, while Daniel was leaning against the fireplace. They all looked at her when she came in, she smiled back and settled down near the door. If she knew Dumbledore, he would be here in no time. They all stayed silent for a while, just taking in the picture of Harry and Ryan, it always was hard to see Harry lying so quiet. While he never had been very loud, there was always an aura of power and comfort around him that had been lacking now for a while. It was very unerving to see such a lively boy lying so still, even if they had all seen it before. Ron was the first to break the silence.  
  
"Shouldn't we write to the headmaster? You know he gets annoyed when we don't tell him these kind of things."  
  
Everyone nodded and Daniel left his place next to the fireplace to go and write the letter. Just after he had disappeared into his room, there was a soft knock at the door. Hermione stood up, a knowing smile on her lips as she went to open the door.  
  
She received a momentary shock when in front of her stood, not the comforting form of the headmaster, but the frightening image of a Death Eater. Her fear subsided immediately and she stood aside to let her potions professor enter the room. Ryan looked at him questioningly.  
  
"What are you doing here, Snape?"  
  
The man took off his mask and nodded in Harry's direction. "I just wanted to make sure he hadn't died on us."  
  
Ryan growled in annoyance. "Won't Malfoy suspect anything?"  
  
"I'm not an idiot, Black! Malfoy is too pissed off right now about failing in the attack, and he told us all to get lost. He has a worse temper than Voldemort had, but can't kill the few Death Eaters he still has."  
  
Before Ryan could reply, another knock echoed throughout the room. Hermione stood up again, and this time let Dumbledore, McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey in. They all wore sad expressions on their faces, and directed their attention towards the couch where Harry's slight form was resting. Madam Pomfrey slowly walked towards the boy and put a shaky hand on his forehead. Suddenly, she frowned. The boy was much to warm to be dead. With shaking fingers, she moved her hand towards his neck and nearly fainted when she felt the strong pulse against her fingers. Dumbledore, seeing how pale the nurse had become, walked forward. "Poppy, what's wrong?"  
  
The woman gulped. "He's still alive." After that statement, the nurse forced Ryan to leave his spot and proceeded to examine the unconscious child.  
  
Minerva and Dumbledore appeared shocked as she worked but a smirking voice cut through their questioning looks. "Of course he's alive. That kid always survives the killing curse."  
  
The three past teachers turned around and looked at the scowling Death Eater. Dumbledore frowned. "How is that possible? No one has ever survived the killing curse. And may I ask who you are? You are obviously a Death Eater, yet you haven't attacked us. You seem to know how to get in and out the school without anyone noticing."  
  
Daniel, who had just returned with the letter, answered for him. "For the first question, we are not sure, you should ask our Dumbledore about it, I don't know if even Harry knows. And for him, well, that's Severus Snape. He's our spy."  
  
"Lupin!"  
  
"It's alright, Severus, they know about us. Has someone seen Hedwig?"  
  
Charlie answered him while Snap started to throw a fit. "How did they find out? Wait, never mind, I can probably guess." He turned his attention to Dumbledore. "As for how I'm able to go into Hogwarts? Let's just say the charms protecting this school need a good updating."  
  
Before Dumbledore could answer, Minerva asked something she had been curious to find out. "Aren't the three of you supposed to hate each other?"  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. "Minerva, I'm sure they have grown out of their fights by now."  
  
At the headmaster's words, Ron and Hermione couldn't help but smirk. The boy looked at the three men, highly amused. "Yeah, right. No offence, headmaster, but in our time you still have to constantly remind them to get along. At times they're worse than first-years."  
  
"Weasley!"  
  
Ron smiled innocently at his enraged Potions Master. With an innocently sweet voice, he asked: "Would you believe me if I told you I was sorry, Professor?"  
  
Hermione was had to turn around, or else she would've laughed in Snape's face.  
  
"No! If I could, I would take a hundred points from Gryffindor for this."  
  
Ron's face brightened. "Hey, I hadn't thought about that. We'll have to remember to take advantage of this opportunity, won't we, Hermione?"  
  
Snape gripped his mask and stormed out of the room, passing a helplessly laughing Hermione and a bewildered Dumbledore. After the door had closed, Ryan turned to the red-haired boy who was sporting a victorious smirk.  
  
"You really shouldn't have said that, Ron. He'll be sure to take lots of points from Gryffindor when you return."  
  
Ron shrugged. "You say that like it's something special. He always takes points and he's never needed a reason to do so. Now at least he will have one."  
  
Ryan sighed. "Good point."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. 


	31. Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
Madam Pomfrey covered Harry with a light blanket and joined the others on the other side of the room. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, but it was the headmaster, who questioned her first.  
  
"How is he doing, Poppy?"  
  
The nurse sat down next to Minerva and looked them pensively. "For someone that's supposed to be dead, he's very well. He has slipped out of unconsciousness and is sleeping now. I think his body was in shock from the curse. I don't know what's going to happen now. I have never seen anything like this… Oh, and he has a little scar on his chest, it's in the form of..."  
  
Before she could end, the people of the future said: "Lightning."  
  
The nurse shook her head wearily and turned her gaze to the headmaster who was watching the others, somewhat amused.  
  
"I'm not sure what I should be doing, or even if I can do something to help him."  
  
Dumbledore looked around as though searching for an answer. He didn't know what they could do either. It was the first time he had seen anything like this.  
  
Daniel leaned back in his seat, having sent Hedwig away with the letter and calmly, he spoke. "I just sent a letter to our headmaster. The only thing we can do now is make Harry as comfortable as we can and await his answer."  
  
Madam Pomfrey nodded, feeling a more than a little helpless with the situation. Knowing there was nothing else she could do she left, followed shortly thereafter by Minerva, Ethan and the children.  
  
Not knowing what the future Dumbledore would want to do, it had been decided that no one would tell the students that Harry was still alive. The explanation, if needed, could come later.  
  
Dumbledore stayed for a while longer, talking quietly with Daniel, who was telling him about the other times Harry had survived the curse. Meanwhile, Ryan had moved once again to Harry's side. He was gently caressing the boy's hair when he heard the door close, indicating Dumbledore's departure. Remus walked to Ryan's side and looked down at his friend's concerned face. Putting a comforting arm on the other man's shoulders, he broke the silence. "He'll be fine, Padfoot."  
  
Ryan sighed. "I know, I know, but I can't help but worry. What if the day comes when he doesn't survive it?"  
  
"I don't know. I prefer not to think about it."  
  
"Me neither, but this happens far too often for my peace of mind. I wish I could just lock him up somewhere where he's safe."  
  
Daniel laughed softly. "Sirius, I might want to remind you of all the trouble you have just keeping him in bed when he is ill. It would be impossible to lock him up without him blowing up the place."  
  
Ryan shook his head and sighed, knowing his friend was right. Even if there was a way to keep Harry locked up, Ryan wanted his godson to be happy and knew he never would be if he had to stay somewhere away from everyone, even if it was for his own protection.  
  
The two men stayed silent, just watching Harry sleep. After a while, Ryan lifted Harry carefully in his arms and took the boy to his room, where he would be able to sleep undisturbed and more comfortably. Leaving the door ajar, so they could hear Harry if he woke up, Ryan and Daniel sat down on the table with some essays the students had written and began to mark them.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
A sharp pain in his chest woke Harry up from his peaceful sleep. It took some time before he realised he was back to his room. His mind was still numb from sleep, exhaustion and pain, but the flash of green light that kept replaying itself across his closed eyelids was enough to give him some idea of what had happened. Carefully, Harry opened his eyes, and was relieved to see the light in the room had dimmed, meaning it was probably a little after supper. Slowly, the boy tried to sit up and nearly cried out when a stab of pain went through his body. He sank back into his pillow, breathing hard, with his eyes firmly closed. He heard hurried steps approaching his bed, it seemed someone had heard him moving. A cool hand pressed against his feverish forehead and through the pain he could hear someone curse. His lips twitched a little when he recognised his godfather's voice, and he tried to relax as the hand began to stroke his too warm cheek.  
  
"Remus!"  
  
Harry heard soft footsteps entering the room. "What is it, Padfoot?"  
  
"He's burning up! We need to do something."  
  
"Ok, calm down. I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey. Try to cool him down while I'm away."  
  
Harry still had his eyes closed, but he could almost see his godfather nod while quick steps could be heard leaving the room. The comforting hand disappeared from his face and was replaced by a cold, wet washcloth. Harry began to shiver and tried to move away from the cold, but Sirius wouldn't let him. His godfather gripped one of his shoulders firmly, before moving the cloth to his chest, bathing his hot skin with cold water. Harry struggled weakly against the hand that held him in place, still trying to get away from the cold.  
  
"Lay still, Harry. Stop fighting me. You're only hurting yourself. I know it's cold, but that's what you need right now."  
  
Ryan's voice was gentle but commanding, and he expected to be obeyed. Not wanting his godfather mad at him, Harry did as he was told and remained still, allowing Sirius to bathe him more easily. Some time later, Ryan finally stopped and placed the washcloth on Harry's forehead, covering him up with the blanket and taking one of his hands.  
  
Harry felt his godfather sit down next to him on the bed and scooted closer to the man. They remained that way for a while, Sirius stroking his head while sleep started to fill the boy. Harry was all but dozing when Remus came back. The boy frowned; he knew there was someone with Remus, but he wasn't sure it was Madam Pomfrey. Before he could open his eyes to confirm his thoughts, Sirius let out a surprised cry.  
  
"Albus! When did you arrive?"  
  
The old wizard's calm voice rang throughout the small room. "Just now. I got your message and came back immediately." Harry felt Sirius stand up and then a gentle hand rested against his check.  
  
"Child?"  
  
Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and saw the blurred form of his headmaster kneeling next to him. "Harry, I'm going to bring you back to the future with me, there you will have enough time to recuperate and our Madam Pomfrey will be much more equipped to deal with your illness. Is that ok?"  
  
The boy closed his eyes again, knowing it wasn't really a question. He nodded tiredly after receiving a squeeze from Sirius's hand. The last things he felt before sleep claimed him once more, was someone lifting him into a warm embrace, and then a rush of wind.  
  
To be continued…  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. 


	32. Fudge and the beetle

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Harry had no idea how long he'd been asleep, but he immediately knew he was no longer in his room. He also noticed someone was holding his hand tightly. Harry opened his eyes, careful not to move too much. The first thing he saw was that he was once again in the hospital wing. Turning his head to his side, he saw a sleeping Dumbledore sitting in a chair next to him. Harry squeezed the old wizard's hand and saw his headmaster wake up with a start. Dumbledore quickly stood up and placed a hand on his ward's forehead. With a frown, the old man conjured a washcloth and carefully wiped Harry's face. "How are you feeling, child?"  
  
Harry thought about it for a while, knowing that his usual answer of fine would not be accepted. He suddenly realised he felt warm, but at the same time, he had to concentrate on his body to stop it's shivering. There was also a slight pounding in his head, and from the way his body was feeling, he was sure that if he tried to move, the pain he had felt last time would come back. After the quick assessment of his condition, he looked up at the concerned wizard hovering over him and tried to smile a little. "I feel hot, and my head hurts."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "That's no wonder child, you've got quite a high fever and your body is still in shock. Jumping in the way of the killing curse wasn't a very smart move."  
  
Harry closed his eyes tiredly. "I didn't have a choice, I couldn't let my parents die." With a somewhat subdued voice, he asked. "Are you angry, sir?"  
  
Dumbledore's face softened and he brushed some hair out of Harry's eyes, causing the boy to look at him again. "Of course I'm not angry, Harry. You did the right thing. Sometimes I just wish there were other ways of doing this than to put yourself in danger like that."  
  
Harry nodded and yawned tiredly. Dumbledore, seeing the child was about to fall asleep again, picked up a goblet that Madam Pomfrey had prepared.  
  
"Drink this, Harry, then you can go back to sleep."  
  
The old headmaster placed an arm around Harry's shoulders and began to slowly lift him up, causing the boy to moan in pain.  
  
"I'm sorry, child, but you really need to drink this."  
  
He placed the goblet against Harry's lips and made him drink the potion. After swallowing it all, Harry allowed his body to relax and was sleeping before Dumbledore even had a chance to lower him back into the pillows.  
  
Dumbledore tucked him in. A soft voice startled him.  
  
"You should have called me when he woke up, headmaster."  
  
Dumbledore half turned around and saw Madam Pomfrey approaching the bed from her office.  
  
"I'm sorry, Poppy. I didn't know you had returned from Hogsmeade."  
  
The nurse shook her head with a small smile, and began to check on Harry while Dumbledore returned to his chair. The old man picked up the book he had been reading before falling asleep.  
  
Harry had only been sleeping for a few hours, when Minerva entered the hospital wing. "Headmaster?"  
  
Dumbledore looked up, a little startled. His deputy headmistress was looking quite angry and he wondered what could have happened to get her worked up into this state. "Is there something wrong, Minerva?"  
  
"Minister Fudge is here to see you, and he demands to see Harry, too."  
  
Dumbledore frowned, a dark look settling in his eyes. He looked down at the sleeping child. "Harry is ill, Minerva, I doubt he is up to a confrontation with Fudge."  
  
McGonagall nodded. "I told the Minister the same thing, but he didn't want to believe me. He said you were either hiding Harry from the Ministry, or that you had sent him away somewhere."  
  
An angry look crossed Dumbledore's features. "Bring him in here."  
  
Madam Pomfrey, who had come out of her office to see what was going on, looked at him sharply. "Headmaster! Harry needs his rest! The Minister is probably going to start another shouting contest, just as he did last time. He wasn't happy when Harry refused to make a statement to press."  
  
"I know Poppy, but there's nothing I can do about it without creating a larger rift between the Ministry and the school. Things are getting out of hand as it is. But you could help me by summoning all of the teachers."  
  
The nurse nodded, still looking displeased, but doing as asked, she went to her office.  
  
"Go now, Minerva, but try to take it slowly so the other teachers have the chance to get here."  
  
McGonagall nodded and also left the room, leaving Harry and Dumbledore alone once more.  
  
With a heavy sigh, the headmaster bent over Harry and shook him, gently calling his name. The boy moaned and groggily opened his eyes. "Headmaster? What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm sorry for waking you up, Harry, but the Minister insists to see you."  
  
Harry groaned loudly. "Not him. Why can't he just leave me alone?"  
  
Dumbledore stroked the boy's hair gently. "I don't know, child, I really don't know. But not to worry; I won't be letting him get away with any rude comments this time. Just one word out of place and I'll curse him."  
  
Even if Harry knew Dumbledore couldn't do that, it still helped him to relax. He felt even better when a booming voice agreed with the old man. "You won't be the only one, headmaster."  
  
Dumbledore and Harry smiled at Hagrid when the huge man came in, followed by most of the other teachers. Professor Sprout took a seat at Harry's other side and grabbed the boy's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Since Cedric's death, the herbology professor had taken interest in him, helping him to get on good terms with the Hufflepuffs again. Hagrid's massive form took a place behind Dumbledore and next to Harry's bed, while the remaining teachers took defensive places around the room, ready to curse the Minister from all sides if necessary.  
  
Five minutes later, they heard footsteps approaching. McGonagall opened the door and stepped inside, smiling slightly at the sight before her. Without a second thought, the witch went to join Professor Sprout at Harry's side and turned to see the Minister coming in. Fudge entered the hospital wing followed closely by Arthur and Percy Weasley. His confident smile faltered when he saw nearly all the Hogwarts staff standing there, glaring at him, with their wands casually drawn. Arthur and Percy smiled at the sight and then winked reassuringly at Harry, who was now lying propped up against some pillows.  
  
Dumbledore was the first to talk. "What brings you here, Minister?"  
  
"I demand to know where Mr. Potter has been."  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow while some of the teachers gritted their teeth at the man's tone. "What makes you think he hasn't been here? Harry is still recovering from the fight with Voldemort and we didn't think moving him would be a good idea right now."  
  
Fudge flushed red. He looked murderously at the boy lying in bed, but Harry wasn't even looking at him. Instead, his attention had been drawn to a little beetle that had come in with the three men and was now resting against a closed window.  
  
"You're lying!" Harry's head snapped back to Fudge. "He wasn't here this week and he is perfectly fine!"  
  
Madam Pomfrey went red and stood up, her wand firmly clasped in her hand, but the headmaster stopped her with a stern look. Calmly, as to not arouse the anger of the teachers again, he looked back to the Minister. Arthur and Percy had kept quiet until now, but both were also looking displeased with the man. Dumbledore relaxed in his seat and asked, "And may I ask, who has told you that lie, Cornelius?"  
  
"It's not a lie. My information comes from a very reliable source."  
  
Before the headmaster had the chance to reply, Harry's soft voice cut through the room. "I would hardly call Rita Skeeter reliable. She has told more lies in her life than all of us put together."  
  
Fudge's face turned even redder, but Harry hadn't finished. "And you really disappoint me, Minister. I thought you were above this kind of behaviour, but I guess I was wrong."  
  
Through clenched teeth the man asked, "What do you mean?"  
  
All teachers were listening intently at the conversation.  
  
"I mean, I though you were above using unregistered animagi to spy on people. I'm sure a lot of people would be very interested in your methods, Minister, don't you agree, Rita?"  
  
Harry saw the beetle buzzing frantically around the window, trying to get out of the room. The teachers had followed Harry's gaze and now had a look of understanding on their faces. Fudge's face had paled.  
  
Before anyone could say anything else, Harry's hand shot out and a blue light surrounded the beetle, returning it to its human form. Skeeter fell to the floor, landing in a rather undignified position. She looked venomously at Harry, who had tiredly slumped back into the pillows.  
  
Arthur was the first one to speak. "I'm really appalled, Minister. What will the council think? If this gets out, everyone will turn against the Ministry." Arthur's voice was stern, but all the teachers could see his eyes were twinkling with joy. They had finally found something that could throw this pathetic man from his position.  
  
"I… I… I didn't know."  
  
"I'm sure you didn't."  
  
Dumbledore's voice was ice cold. He'd had more than enough of having this idiot mulling around the school. Because of him and Skeeter, Harry had just exerted himself again. In his condition, that could not be good at all. "I think it's best that you leave now, Cornelius. Your presence is no longer appreciated nor welcomed in this school. Percy, please, can you escort Miss Skeeter? I'm sure you can see about arranging a trial."  
  
"Of course, sir."  
  
When they had left the room, led by McGonagall, Dumbledore turned his attention to Harry.  
  
"Child?"  
  
But the boy didn't answer; he was once again sleeping peacefully, a faint blush caused by his fever covering his pale checks.  
  
To be continued…  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. Another thing, people have been asking me from the beginning to mail the updates to them. I don't mind doing that at all, but now I'm starting to get confused in who wants which story. So could you help me out and tell me exactly for which story you want me to warn you? If it's Free, Dangers in the past or both. Thanks. 


	33. Premonition

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Hermione was sitting in the common room feeling restless. It had been nearly two months since Harry had supposedly been killed. It had been a very hard time for everyone. Most of the teachers had become overprotective. They were afraid Death Eaters would attack again. Dumbledore and McGonagall had begun to reinforce the protection charms, but it was a slow and tedious process that would take them months. Untill then, all Quidditch practices had been suspended, and no one was allowed to go outside without a teacher. The tension between the students had been growing. Not being able to go outside was taking its toll and the fights between the students of the different houses were starting to pick up. The Marauders had continued doing some pranks, mainly to try and break the tension, but everyone could tell their hearts weren't really in it. James mainly kept to himself, only accepting Lily's presence near him. Both were feeling really guilty about Harry's death and had buried themselves in their studies. They were so involved that they never noticed Ron and Hermione were almost always near them. The two teenagers didn't intrude on the couple, but knew now that Harry wasn't there, the danger had increased for they had no way to know when something was about to happen.  
  
Ryan, Daniel and Ethan kept going on as well as they could, but everyone could see how pale and withdrawn the defence teacher had become in the last weeks. His mind was usually on Harry. Even though he knew his godson was in good hands, it didn't keep him from being worried sick.  
  
It was now Halloween and the bad feeling Hermione had been having all day was increasing. Snape had said the main attack would be on Christmas, but what if the Dark King had changed plans again? Now that Harry was not there, Malfoy didn't really have a reason to wait.  
  
A hand on her shoulder made her look up. Ron had just come back from a walk with Sirius, Remus and Peter, and had seen her sitting in front of the fire on her own. The red-haired boy looked down at her concerned. "Is something wrong, Herm?"  
  
The girl shook her head and looked at the fire again. "I'm not sure, Ron. Can't you feel it? There's something restless in the air, like something dangerous is approaching. Just look at how Harry's pets have been behaving for the last few days."  
  
It had become normal to see Godric or Echo flying around the castle at the most odd hours of the day and night, but for the last few days the four pets had stayed in Harry's room, unwilling to go out.  
  
Ron shrugged. "What about them? They are quieter, but you know they just miss Harry."  
  
"It's been two months, Ron. You know it's not only that. Even without Harry they used to go out or move around the castle. Now they just stay huddled together in Harry's former room and not even Ryan can make them go out."  
  
"Look, Herm, nothing's wrong, they are…"  
  
Before he could go any further, Hermione sprang from her seat and stood in front of her friend, eyes alight with fury. "Will you stop it, Ron! Stop trying to ignore the warnings! I know what I'm sensing and I know you're feeling it, too. We have been in enough dangerous situations to know when there's something wrong. So stop being such a prat and start thinking of ways to protect ourselves."  
  
The whole common room had gone silent. Everyone was looking at the pair in a mixture of horror and amusement. Ron ignored the stares he was getting and slumped back into his chair. Softly, he tried to calm his friend. "I'm sorry, Hermione. You're right. I can sense it too. It's just I don't want to think what will happen. This time Harry isn't going to be here to help us."  
  
Hermione's gaze softened and she knelt next to the boy's chair, gripping his hand in hers. "One more reason for us to be ready."  
  
Ron nodded and squeezed her hand. Then he looked up around the room. Most people had gone back to their own conversations, but he noticed Sirius, Remus and Peter were still looking at them. In a serious tone, Sirius asked, "Do you really think something bad is going to happen?"  
  
Ron noticed the boy was quite pale, but didn't think anything about it and just nodded slightly. "Knowing the Dark Lord, you can nearly count on it."  
  
Everyone stayed silent for a while pondering what could happen and wondering if they were safe. Finally, Peter stood up and left the room, going to the bedrooms to retrieve his homework. Not a minute later, a shriek rang through the room. Ron and Hermione were out of the common room and up the stairs before anyone else realised what was going on. When Sirius, Remus and most of the other Gryffindor students arrived, they saw Ron and Hermione standing at the door that led to the fifth year's bedroom. Peter was sitting on the floor between the two teenagers. Sirius came closer and saw the room was trashed. Someone had thrown all the trunks open, spilling their contents through the room. The hangings around the beds had been ripped, along with the pillows and the blankets. Ron quickly stepped inside, trying to assess the damage and to determine if something had been stolen. Hermione, on the other hand, turned around and faced the crowd forming behind her. "Could someone go get Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall and Moon, please?"  
  
Some seventh years nodded and ran away. Hermione looked pensively into the room. Ron was walking around carefully, but there was something wrong with this. Why would have someone bothered to trash a room? As far as she knew there was nothing important in it. A sudden thought crossed her mind. What if it was only a distraction? Slowly, realisation began to settle in her mind. She turned around and faced the Marauders, who were still looking inside the room.  
  
"Sirius, where are James and Lily?"  
  
To be continued…  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta readers, Gates and Tanya. 


	34. Riddle

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
"Sirius, where are James and Lily?"  
  
The black haired boy paled a bit and began to shift nervously under her glare. "Erm…, they are,… er, I mean, I'm not sure…"  
  
Hermione narrowed her eyes, now nearly black in anger. In a deathly quiet voice she asked. "Please, Sirius, tell me they have not gone to Hogsmeade."  
  
Had the situation been different, the rush of colours that showed on Sirius's face would have been amusing. He went from white to red and then became even paler than he had been to begin with. It was all the answer Hermione needed. Her own face grew red; none of the Marauders had ever seen her so angry. Peter, still on the ground, scooted closer to Remus's legs as Remus moved to stand behind Sirius. Unluckily for Sirius, Hermione was only looking at him. Finally the girl spoke, obviously trying yet failing, to control her temper. "Have they gone insane? The damn Dark Lord wants to kill them and they just decide to leave the protection of Hogwarts! And don't bother saying anything!" Hermione looked to Sirius who had been about to try and defend his friends. "I don't want to know why they're there. It doesn't matter. They shouldn't have left Hogwarts under any circumstances."  
  
With a final glare to the black-haired boy, she turned to survey the room, where Ron, oblivious to her shouts, was still looking if something was missing. Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and in a quieter voice called her friend. "Ron, forget the room, it's only a distraction. James and Lily are in Hogsmeade."  
  
The red head looked up sharply at her, as a small fire began to burn into his eyes. Without a word, the tall boy ran out of the room and began to walk down the stairs, through the crowd of students, followed closely by Hermione, Sirius and Remus. The four children tore past Dumbledore and McGonagall, who were just climbing up the stairs, and crossed the common room at a run. They nearly collided with Daniel, who was just coming through the portrait. They managed to stop just in time, slightly out of breath. Their teacher frowned at them. "What's wrong?"  
  
Ron was the first to catch his breath and answer. "James and Lily have gone to Hogsmeade! We need to bring them back before something happens to them."  
  
The older werewolf paled and turned a stern gaze to the two boys standing behind Ron and Hermione. Remus and Sirius flinched and looked down. They knew that their friends would be in danger if they went out, but they really hadn't any way to stop them. They wondered for a moment if they should go get them. Daniel's voice broke through their thoughts. "Stay here and do what Dumbledore says. Ron, Hermione, make sure these two stay put. We don't need more students putting themselves in danger. If Dumbledore asks, tell him where we have gone. Ryan and Ethan will be coming with me."  
  
After the two teenagers nodded their consent, the man left, shutting the door after him.  
  
Shortly after, Dumbledore and McGonagall came down, deep frowns mirrored on their faces. All the students who had been crowding the stairs came down with them. The headmaster turned to the four teenagers, while McGonagall started to lead the other students out of the common room to the Great Hall.  
  
"Has anyone seen Daniel, Ryan or Ethan? I sent a student to go fetch them."  
  
Hermione nodded. "Daniel came here, Sir, but we found out that James and Lily have left the castle grounds. Daniel and the others have gone to fetch them."  
  
Dumbledore's frown deepened, a concerned look crossing his features. Slowly he nodded and motioned for the children to follow them. They were the last people to leave the tower. By the time they reached the Great Hall, the other students were already there, having been brought down by the heads of their houses. Dumbledore went to join the other teachers while Hermione and Ron dragged Sirius and Remus to the Gryffindor table. They were determined to not let the two out of their sight, knowing that if the boys were unsupervised, they would rush to Hogsmeade to try to warn their friends. It was what they would have done had Harry been in danger. Both Marauders were looking a little annoyed at the two other teenagers but didn't dare say anything. They were already in too much trouble.  
  
Nearly three hours later, Ryan, Daniel and Ethan finally came back. Hermione knew something was wrong as soon as she saw their faces. The three of them were pale and looked exhausted. They walked up to Dumbledore and Ron saw Ryan give the Headmaster a slip of paper. The headmaster's features turned grim. The men talked some more, and, finally, the old man turned to the silent hall.  
  
"I'm afraid I have bad news." The students looked at each other warily, obviously expecting the worst. "This evening, two of our students have been kidnapped by Death Eaters."  
  
The hall broke down in whispers, the students wondered who had been kidnapped. Dumbledore tried to placate them, he had more things to say, but it didn't help, the students were too afraid and nervous to pay any attention. Finally, a sharp whistle made everyone shut up and look again to where the headmaster was standing. The older man was looking a little startled at Ryan, who was looking rather annoyed; fear for his friends and for the existence of his godson were draining his patience. Dumbledore, understanding some of what the other man was thinking, quickly started to speak again. "We know they are not dead yet. It seems that the death eaters are playing with us.A note was found at the site of the kidnapping. It says, James Potter and Lily Evans will die if we don't find them before sunset. That's in scarcely two hours. To supposedly help us, they have left a riddle that should tell us where to look for them. The staff and I have not been able to come up with an answer to said riddle, and since we really don't have the time to waste, we are asking for your help to try and figure it out." He paused for a moment. Most students were nodding or leaning forward to hear the riddle, willing to try and come up with an answer. "The riddle says as follows:  
  
In the chamber of the greatest founder,  
  
From the girl who cries forever  
  
To the chamber where the king of snakes rests  
  
The stag and the flower will finally meet their end.  
  
To be continued…  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta readers: Tanya and Gates. 


	35. Solutions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
After Dumbledore finished reading the riddle, the room once again exploded in soft whispers. This time, none of the teachers said anything to quiet them. They couldn't do anything if they didn't figure out where the two teenagers had been taken.  
  
Over at the Gryffindor table, Sirius and Remus were huddled together, talking softly to each other about possible locations. On the other hand, Peter was sitting quietly, a lost look in his eyes. If Ron and Hermione had noticed the look, they would have known something was wrong, but the two teenagers were much too shocked to notice Wormtail's unusual expression. Ron was still gaping at the head table, trying to convince himself that what he had heard was indeed correct. Slowly, he turned to Hermione, and the expression on her face clearly assured him that he had heard right. The girl turned to him and mouthed, "Chamber of Secrets."  
  
Ron nodded slightly, and then buried his head in his hands. "We need Harry."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "I don't know if we can reach him in time. Even if we sent Hedwig right away, we have no idea how long it has been there, for all we know, Harry could still be in no shape to come."  
  
Ron looked at her sharply. "So what should we do? Harry is the only one who can open the entrance to the Chamber. There is no other parselmouth, except for Voldemort, and if my guess is right he is the one down there."  
  
Hermione stayed silent for a while, thinking about what Ron and Harry had told her about the Chamber of Secrets. Finally she looked up at her friend again, who was starring at her hopefully. If someone could figure this mess out, he was sure it was Hermione. "Ron, to open the Chamber you have to be a parselmouth because you have to hiss to the snake painted on the sink, right?"  
  
Ron titled his head and nodded, wondering where Hermione was going with this.  
  
"But Derek can go down there, too. Harry usually asks him to check the Chamber for Death Eaters when we suspect someone has been in the castle."  
  
Ron nodded again slowly. "Yes. But I always thought Derek would have his own way of going down there. Why should a snake use that opening."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "I asked Harry once. He told me there were other entrances but he hadn't been able to find them, neither had Derek. When Harry's pet snake goes down there, he uses the sink."  
  
Ron sighed. "Ok, maybe he does, but how does this help us?"  
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes you are so dense, Ron." The boy looked confused. "We need someone to open the door to the Chamber. Well, we have established that Derek can do that for us."  
  
Ron's face cleared up in understanding, but then he frowned again. "That's good, but how do we tell it that we want him to open the chamber? It's not like we can talk to Derek."  
  
Hermione nodded. "Well, we should hope he is trained enough to figure that out on his own. I'm sure that if we bring him to the entrance he'll know what to do."  
  
Ron sighed. "I guess that's the best we can do for now. But I suggest we contact Dumbledore and Harry anyway. Who knows, maybe Harry is already strong enough to help us out."  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Sure. We need to go up to Ryan's room anyway, we can send Hedwig from there."  
  
With a final nod to each other, the two teenagers stood up and quickly walked to the teacher's table, drawing the attention of all students. The sudden silence in the room alerted the teachers that there was something going on. When Ryan saw the teens approaching, he stood up silently, waiting to hear what they had to say. He knew from experience that they were very good at solving this kind of riddle, having made it through the teacher's challenges protecting the Philosopher's Stone.  
  
"Have you thought of something?"  
  
Hermione smiled slightly at him, putting him at ease. "Actually Ryan, it was very easy. We figured it out as soon as the Headmaster read the riddle. The problem was getting in there without Harry. But we think we have figured it out."  
  
The teachers sighed in relieve and the two teenagers motioned for them to follow them out of the room. Dumbledore nodded, but before following them, he turned to the heads of houses and ordered them to take the students back to their common rooms. They would be safer there. When the old man caught up with the others, he saw that Sirius and Remus had joined the time- travellers. He frowned to the two Marauders. "Why have you not gone to the Gryffindor common room with Professor McGonagall?"  
  
Sirius looked him steadily in the eyes. "We're coming with you."  
  
The headmaster's frown deepened, but Ron's voice prevented him from saying anything. "Don't bother, I'm sure they would find a way to follow us and they will be safer if they are in the main group instead of wandering around on their own. And we've no time to argue anyway."  
  
Without another word, he began to lead the party to the third floor. The headmaster followed swiftly and moved to walk alongside the two future teenagers. "Where are we going?"  
  
Hermione looked up at him. "We are going to Ryan's room. We need to send Hedwig with a letter to Harry and Dumbledore. We don't know if it will help, but if they make it back here, they could help us a lot. We also need to retrieve Derek, else we won't be able to enter."  
  
"Enter where?"  
  
Hermione looked away from the old man. "The riddle said it quite plainly: the room of the greatest founder. We know Death Eaters sent the note; maybe even Voldemort himself. Which founder would they be referring to?"  
  
Daniel answered without a second thought. "Slytherin."  
  
Hermione nodded, but before she could say anything else, Ethan stopped, a look from understanding passing through his eyes. "The Chamber of Secrets of Salazar Slytherin."  
  
The two teenagers didn't stop but nodded their heads. The others started to follow them again, but deep frowns were etched upon their faces. Ryan was the one who spoke aloud their worries. "Ron, Hermione, we have no idea where that room is. For all we know, it could be only a legend."  
  
Ron snorted loudly and turned around, walking backwards. "One of this days you will have to get Harry to finish telling you about our Hogwarts adventures. I can't believe he didn't tell you about this one."  
  
Daniel and Ryan exchanged a confused look while Ethan walked pensively at their side. Ron had told him about the chamber. The teenager rolled his eyes and sighed. "Harry and I figured out where the chamber was in our second year. Tom Riddle was trying to possess Ginny and used her to open the chamber and release the monster that stays there."  
  
Dumbledore titled his head. "Monster?"  
  
Hermione grimaced. "Salazar Slytherin left a present for his heir: a basilisk. The worst part is we can't eve kill it. Harry will do so in his second year. Lets hope no one awakens it this time, else we'll have a bit of a problem."  
  
Ryan looked utterly shocked. "Harry once told me he had killed a basilisk while at Hogwarts, but he never told me about the chamber. I think I' going to have a long chat with my godson."  
  
Ron and Hermione looked a little nervous and Ron began to blush. "Maybe that's not such a good idea. I remember all the things we did that year. Dumbledore very nearly expelled us."  
  
Ryan gaped at him, and was about to comment when the Headmaster cut in. "Are you sure this is referring to that particular chamber? There have been rumours that there are others. Besides we don't even know if they are here at Hogwarts, they could be at an old house of Slytherin."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "No, Headmaster. It's not just the comment about the greatest founder. You see, the next line tells us where the entrance is. It's in the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle, the girl who cries forever. And he also refers to the king of snakes, the basilisk."  
  
"I see you have it all figured out. Care to tell me what exactly the last line means?"  
  
Ron smirked at Remus and Sirius, who were walking silently after them, both looking extremely uncomfortable. "The line refers to James and Lily, James is the stag and Lily the flower."  
  
Dumbledore frowned. "Why is James the stag?"  
  
Hermione smiled secretively. "That is better left unknown, Headmaster. I'm sure one of the Marauders will tell you when the time is right."  
  
Ron smirked again, this time at Ryan. "Probably in many, many years."  
  
Dumbledore looked curiously at them, but wisely decided to let the matter rest. Ethan, who had been walking quietly at their side, finally spoke. "Ron, you told me about what happened in your second year. I know for a fact that none of us can open the Chamber of Secrets. How are we going to get in?"  
  
Ron flashed him a smile. "Hermione figured it out, as always. We will be using Derek."  
  
Ethan nodded in understanding. "I'm anxious to get down there."  
  
Ron grimaced a bit, remembering the dark halls and the basilisk's skin that had been down there when he last saw the place. "Well, I, for one, am not looking forward to it in the least. It's way too creepy and I didn't even go all the way in. If what Harry and Ginny have told me about the main room is true, I'm sure we will be having nightmares months."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry it took so long, I had some problems with my mail. Anyway, thanks to Tanya and Gates for beta-reading this. 


	36. Back to the past

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
Ron and Hermione entered Harry's former room, leaving the rest of the party waiting in the living room. Hermione quickly wrote the letter they were going to send to Dumbledore, while Ron had Derek slide up his arm so he could carry the snake comfortably. The animal didn't seem very keen on leaving the room, but finally wrapped itself around the teenager's arm, just at the same time as Hermione tied the piece of parchment around Hedwig's leg and sent her off. They rejoined the others and once again the two teenagers began to lead the way, this time heading towards the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle. The trip was silent, since none of them felt like talking much, internally preparing themselves for what they were about to face. Once there, Ron walked to the last sink and knelt in front of it. He rested the arm where he was holding Derek against the sink and waited. The snake looked a few times from the boy to the sink, and, after a few minutes of nervous watching, Ron heard a soft hiss and the sink disappeared, leaving the opening to the chamber of Secrets behind. Ron heard soft gasps run through the room but didn't pay them attention. Without a second thought, he put his legs through the opening and let himself go.  
  
*************************  
  
It had only been a few days since Fudge's visit. Harry had stayed sleeping most of the time, his exhausted body trying to recuperate from the strains it had been subjected over the past few days. Every time he woke up, he saw either Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey next to him, making sure he was comfortable. Harry also suspected it was to make sure he didn't get up and walk away, something he had done often enough in the past year. This morning was no different. Harry woke up around ten o'clock and immediately noticed Dumbledore in a chair next to him, reading a worn out book. The man looked up and smiled fondly at him. Putting the book aside, the old headmaster stood up and gently put a hand on the boy's forehead. Harry closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, it helped reassure him that there was someone out there that cared about him.  
  
"It seems your fever has finally gone away, Harry. That's good."  
  
The boy smiled and quietly asked, "When will I be able to leave the hospital wing, Headmaster?"  
  
Dumbledore laughed softly, he was aware that Harry hated being there. "Well, if your fever hasn't returned by tonight, Madam Pomfrey has agreed to let you be moved to a room next to mine. I'm afraid she demands that someone takes care of you and makes sure you don't exert yourself. Since Sirius is not here, I will be the one making sure you behave."  
  
Harry nodded. He was happy enough to be able to leave the hospital wing to mind the overprotective way his teachers were treating him. Besides, he was always pleased to be near the headmaster; the old man gave him a sense of security matched only by Sirius. His musings were soon interrupted by the headmaster.  
  
"Breakfast, Harry?"  
  
The boy nodded eagerly. Dumbledore helped him sit up, even though Harry complained he could do it on his own. When the boy had been settled comfortably against a couple of pillows, the headmaster handed him the tray that a house elf had just brought from the kitchen.  
  
That evening, McGonagall and Hagrid appeared in the hospital wing to help Harry get moved to his new room. Dumbledore watched in amusement as Hagrid picked the boy up, much to Harry's dislike. Not because he minded the half- giant carrying him, but because someone had to carry him even if he was feeling ok. McGonagall followed Dumbledore and Hagrid out of the hospital wing, carrying Harry's trunk, which the headmaster had brought back from the past. Ten minutes later, when they'd arrived at the room, Dumbledore wasn't very surprised to see Harry half asleep, lulled to sleep by the steady steps of the half-giant. Even though the child would have loved to regain his health in a few days, the recovery from such a curse was tedious and slow. The headmaster knew that he had to be careful with the boy. He couldn't have Harry tire himself out because he could be summoned at a moments notice. But on the other hand, he could hardly let the boy bore himself to death in bed.  
  
The three teachers entered the room. McGonagall pulled the covers of the bed away, and Hagrid gently deposited his charge into the pillows. Dumbledore covered the boy up and dismissed the other two teachers. A few moments later, he opened a small door and headed into his office, leaving the door slightly ajar so he would be able to keep an eye on his young charge.  
  
That night, Dumbledore was awakened by screams coming from Harry's room. Moving quickly, he made his way to the boy's side and gathered him in his arms. Even though Harry was still asleep, the boy clung to the other man desperately. Dumbledore comforted him as best he could, trying not to wake him up. Finally, seeing Harry wasn't pulling out of the nightmare, the headmaster decided to wake him up. Shaking the boy gently, he felt Harry jerk awake in his arms.  
  
"Harry, hush child. Everything is alright."  
  
Rocking the distraught teenager gently, the headmaster began to hum a soft tune, trying to calm Harry down. Nearly half an hour later, when Dumbledore felt that Harry had calmed enough, he let the teenager slide back down, back onto his pillows. Harry let go of the headmaster's neck, but immediately gripped the old man's hand tightly. Dumbledore brushed some hair out of the boy's eyes and looked down at him with a concerned smile.  
  
"Was it a nightmare about the last fight again, Harry?"  
  
The teenager shook his head. "No, Sir." Harry frowned. "I had a nightmare about the Chamber of Secrets. I don't understand, why am I having a nightmare about that now?"  
  
Dumbledore studied the wall in front of him pensively. Somehow, the mention of Slytherin's Chamber was stirring some memory inside his own mind, but it was still too fuzzy to discern. When he looked back down, he realised the boy had fallen asleep again. With a sigh, the headmaster tucked Harry in and then left the room.  
  
The days that followed were hard on both Harry and Dumbledore. Both being terribly stubborn, each day was a battle of wills. Harry, feeling much better than he had at the beginning, wanted nothing more than to leave the room he was being confined to. On the other hand, Dumbledore, knowing that Harry was far from better, wanted the boy to keep in bed. Finally, after a few days of arguments, they agreed that Harry would be allowed to wander through his and Dumbledore's rooms, always, of course, supervised by the headmaster or another teacher. Madam Pomfrey was not pleased with the arrangement, and had half a mind to reclaim her patient, but Dumbledore wouldn't hear about it. He knew Harry well enough to know that once back in the hospital wing, the teenager would not waste a second to sneak out of there. Since Harry would then be out of bed anyway, he considered it better if the boy was watched, rather than having him wander around the castle where a lot of things could happen to him in his weakened state.  
  
Two weeks later, when the start of term was approaching, a snowy owl arrived at the castle. Dumbledore was sitting in his office looking through some Ministry papers, while Harry was reading his seventh year Herbology textbook. They both looked up when a soft hoot came from the opened window. Recognising his owl, Harry stood up and walked to the window to pet her. Noticing the letter she was carrying, he pulled it off. Seeing Dumbledore's name written on the parchment, he handed the letter to his headmaster while Hedwig settled on his shoulder nibbling his ear happily. Harry sat back down in his place and watched Dumbledore's face as the man read the letter. Seeing the concerned look the headmaster had, Harry finally broke the silence.  
  
"Headmaster?"  
  
The man looked up, worry etched upon his face. Without a word, he handed the letter to Harry. The boy took it, and saw it was written in Hermione's familiar handwriting.  
  
Headmaster,  
  
Lily and James have been kidnapped. The Death Eaters left a riddle in the place where they were last seen; we came to the conclusion that it was referring to the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore, Ryan, Daniel, Ethan, Sirius, Remus, Ron and I are on our way down there. If Harry is up to it, we could use his help, because none of us knows what to expect. We will write to you once we are back.  
  
Hermione.  
  
Harry reread the letter once more before putting it down. He stood up and began to pace through the room. "I have to go."  
  
Dumbledore merely nodded. "Yes, but first we need to discuss some things. Death Eaters never leave clues about the location of their victims, I'm sure it's a trap."  
  
Harry frowned. "Maybe, but why would Voldemort put up a trap? He's more than powerful enough to take everyone on without having to use these kind of tricks." Then he thought about something else. "I thought Voldemort was afraid of you, back then. He never would have gone into Hogwarts."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that's right, and that's why I think it's Lucius' work, rather than Voldemort's."  
  
Harry shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. How would he have known where the Chamber is, and how would he have gone in?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed. "I don't know, Harry. But I'm fairly certain Voldemort is not down there, and if he isn't, then it only makes sense that the Dark King is. You will have to ask him that yourself."  
  
Harry snorted. "Yeah, sure, I'll just walk up to him and ask him if he knows of any other entrance to the Chamber."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled softly, but didn't reply. Instead, he reached to one of his pockets and withdrew a small time-turner. Handing it to Harry, the headmaster sat back while the boy stood up. "Be careful, child. Merlin knows what is waiting down there for you."  
  
"I will be careful, headmaster. Don't worry. We'll owl you as soon as we are back."  
  
Dumbledore merely nodded and watched as Harry disappeared from his office, Hedwig still perched on his shoulder.  
  
To be continued… 


	37. The Chamber of Secrets

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past  
  
Ron was soon joined by the others. He now faced the same hallway he had seen in his second year when he and Harry had gone down there to save Ginny. Luckily, this time there was no Lockhart to do stupid charms and make the walls collapse. Ron used the light of his wand to look around at the others; he wanted to make sure everyone was ready to do this. He was especially concerned about the Marauders. They seemed to be dazed, not really paying attention on what was going on. His eyes locked with Sirius', and behind the confusion, he saw the same stubborn gaze he had often seen in Ryan's eyes when something was wrong with Harry. This teenager was not about to let anyone push him around. He was determined to go through the end to save his friends. Moving his gaze to Remus, he saw that the young werewolf was just as determined as Sirius.  
  
With a soft sigh, Ron turned to Hermione. His friend had also been looking at the two teenagers. They exchanged quick glances, but neither said anything. Dumbledore motioned for them to start walking again; it wouldn't do them any good to stand about, wasting time.  
  
It took them twenty minutes to reach the doors Harry had told them about. Looking up at the snakes, Ron had to refrain himself from shivering, as the creatures were looking particularly frightening.  
  
The teenager turned around and softly asked, "Are you ready?"  
  
Everyone nodded, some of them more confidently than others. Ron looked at the doors once more and raised his arm. Derek immediately hissed again and the big doors opened. The room behind the doors was pitch black, not a ray of light came in. Slowly, they entered the room. The light shining from their wands was not strong enough to illuminate the room, rather, it barely helped them to not bump into the statues.  
  
They were only a few steps in when the doors suddenly slammed shut. Ron and Hermione, along with Ryan, Daniel and Dumbledore, forced themselves to stay their ground. They couldn't take the chance to turn around and be attacked from the back. A low humming sound began from somewhere in front of them. Ethan, Sirius and Remus turned around sharply, just in time to see two lights coming from the ground. The lights were not bright. In fact, they were dull and had a green tinge. Before any of them could move, the humming changed to a loud grumble. The ground parted at the two points of light and suddenly, two crosses shot up. Hermione gasped and paled. Hanging on the crosses facing each other, were James and Lily. It was hard to tell if they were death or alive. They were motionless, their heads lulled to the side, and their hands hung loosely from the bonds that held them in place.  
  
Ron looked on in grim fascination, trying to focus enough to see if the two teenagers were still breathing. A soft sound from behind him made him turn sharply, just in time to catch Sirius who had begun to run in the direction of his friends. The black haired boy was none too happy at being restrained like that, and began to struggle against him. Ron was happy to see that Daniel had caught Remus, because if he had trouble with Sirius, he couldn't even hope to restrain the other boy with the superior strength the young werewolf possessed. Finally, after a few minutes of struggling, Ron was fed up. The red-haired boy brought a hand back and then slapped Sirius hard on the check. The boy stopped his fight at once, and, looking in shock at the other boy, he slowly brought his hand to his check. Ron grabbed him around the shoulders and forcefully shook him.  
  
"Stop acting like a damn kid, Sirius. We don't have the time to baby-sit you."  
  
The teen looked hurt, but Ron wasn't finished yet. "Use your brains for once. Do you think that whoever has set this up will just let us get James and Lily down and go away? That doesn't make any sense. In fact, I would be surprised if the area surrounding the two crucifixes isn't cursed."  
  
Sirius looked down, ashamed for not having thought about that. Ron slowly let go of the other boy's shoulders and turned around once again. Remus had also been listening to the redhead's words and was now simply lying in Daniel's arms. The teacher didn't let go of him, knowing that if the teenager wanted to get to his friends no one would be quick enough to catch him.  
  
A soft, cruel, voice broke the tension that had been growing within the rescue party. Ryan knew they were surrounded. He couldn't see them, the light from the crucifixes was not bright enough, but he could feel their dark presence surrounding them.  
  
A man stepped into the light, coming to a stop between the two crosses where the two teenagers were hanging.  
  
"I'm truly surprised to know a Weasley has enough brains to recognize the dangers of rushing off to save these two. Last I heard, your stupid muggle- loving family was much too hot tempered and had too few brains to realise something as simple as that."  
  
Ron and Ethan growled in anger, but both stayed where they were. If there was something the war had taught them both, it was to remain clear-headed through a fight and to never give in into the enemies taunting.  
  
Dumbledore himself broke the silence. "Who are you?"  
  
The man looked at the old headmaster with loathing. "I, you old fool, am the Dark King. I'm the most powerful and…"  
  
Ryan cut him off with a disdainful snort. "That's Malfoy. Voldemort's pet. He wasn't even powerful enough to rise in our own time. He had to come to the past with the few Death Eaters the Aurors hadn't caught yet. I wonder what the Voldemort of this time would do if he caught you trying to take his place, Malfoy."  
  
Ryan smirked when he saw the blond man clench his fists. Ron and Hermione watched in amusement at the exchange, all the while keeping an eye on the Death Eaters surrounding them. A soft voice from next to Ron distracted them a little. It seemed Sirius had finally noticed there was something strange going on besides the obvious.  
  
"The past?" He turned to look at Remus who was in turn looking confusedly at Daniel. "What do you mean by that?"  
  
Malfoy visibly relaxed, and began to grin again. "Well, well, well, it seems someone has been keeping secrets. Honestly Black, Lupin, I would have thought you would have told your past selves about all this long ago."  
  
To be continued…  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews. Thanks for my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. Some people have asked when I update. Well, that's hard to tell, it depends on how long it takes me to write a new chapter, especially now that finals are approaching, and how much work my beta readers have. I will probably update next week for this story, I have no idea about the other two, so bear with me. Sorry I couldn't give a better answer, but I think that once finals are over it will be easier for me to update. 


	38. Preparations

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Ryan looked at Malfoy sharply. "Shut up! This is none of your business."  
  
Malfoy smirked, but before he could say anything, Sirius had turned to face his supposed professors. Remus, on the other hand, was struggling against Daniel until the other man finally decided it was best to let him go. Remus took a place next to Sirius and looked at the men. "Who are you?"  
  
Ryan rolled his eyes impatiently. "I don't think this is the best time to be discussing this." But the look in both teenagers' eyes told him he wasn't getting away with that answer. A soft sigh at his side made him turn half around. He looked at his friend, all the while keeping his attention trained towards the Death Eaters. Daniel was rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Come on, Padfoot, it doesn't really matter anymore."  
  
Sirius growled a bit and looked at the teenagers. "Ok, we come from the future, the same as those stupid Death Eaters. I'm Sirius Black and Daniel over there is Remus Lupin. Happy? Can we go back to the important matters now?"  
  
Remus and Sirius looked astounded, how could these two men be themselves? Remus wanted to demand an explanation, some kind of proof about what they were saying, but he was cut of by Ryan's voice. "Come on, Malfoy, enough games. What is it you want?"  
  
The blond man smiled. "That's easy, Black, I want to kill the Potters. Without the Boy Who Lived in the way, Lord Voldemort will attain his goal; the wizarding world will be in his hands."  
  
Ryan's eyes narrowed. "How do you know? If you change the timeline you don't know what's going to happen. No one knows. Are you going to risk our very existence for the dream of a raving maniac? One that is already dead, on top of it?"  
  
Malfoy growled in anger. "You are a stupid fool, Black. The purebloods will rule the world with Voldemort as our master. It's our destiny."  
  
A deathly cold voice rang through the room. "Destiny? If it's your destiny, then why are you here, in the past, trying to change things? If it's the destiny of the purebloods to lead the world, why do you follow a mere half blood?"  
  
Lucius' face contorted in rage and the man turned to face the newcomer. "Potter."  
  
  
  
Harry blinked repeatedly, trying to clear his blurred vision. Finally the flashes of light that had been dancing in front of his eyes dulled and he saw he was in Dumbledore's office. The headmaster was not there, but Harry saw there were enough differences in the room to know that he had returned to the past. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself, he ran out of the room, immediately heading to the bathroom of Moaning Myrtle.  
  
While running, he began to whistle softly, calling his pets to him. While turning a sharp corner, he bumped into another body and both fell to the ground. Looking up, Harry recognised his transfiguration teacher. Getting to his feet, he extended his hand towards the witch. "Are you ok, Professor?"  
  
McGonagall looked up dazed. She frowned. "James?"  
  
The boy smiled slightly at her and shook his head. Before he could reply, Minerva's eyes became large and she sucked in a deep breath. "Harry! You're back!"  
  
Taking the offered hand, she stood up and Harry smiled at her. "Yes, we just received Hermione's letter. I was just making my way to the Chamber of Secrets." At his teacher's startled face, he elaborated. "That's where they are. I need to go down there before something bad happens."  
  
McGonagall nodded, but she had a concerned frown etched upon her face. "Are you sure you're up to it, Harry? You're feeling well, right?"  
  
The teen smiled brightly at her. "Sure, I'm feeling fine. I'm sorry, professor, but I really need to get going."  
  
Minerva nodded and looked at the boy when he began to run again. Before he turned another corner, she saw a phoenix appear at the teen's side in a flash of gold light.  
  
Harry felt reassured when Godric appeared beside him. He wasn't looking forward to going down to the chamber again, bad things had happened there and the memories still haunted him. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly began to put away the walls that surrounded his power. It was a trick he had learned from the headmaster since he had given Madam Pomfrey a rough time with the uncontrolled source while he stayed in the infirmary after the final battle. When he entered the bathroom with Godric, they met Echo. She had been waiting for them there since she probably knew where they were going. Harry steadily walked towards the sink and knelt in front of it, coming face to face with the small snake. Softly he hissed 'open' and the sink once again moved away. Taking a deep breath, he swung his legs into the hole and let himself slide down.  
  
Once he had safely landed, he lit up his wand and began to walk silently through the corridor, keeping all his senses trained towards the chamber ahead. When he arrived in front of the large doors, he heard sounds coming from inside. He could tell people were arguing and was relieved the actual fight didn't seem to have started yet. Quietly, he hissed to the doors to open, and they did. Stepping inside and closing the large doors quietly behind him, he trained his eyes towards the center of the room, where the only light was. His blood ran cold and he felt himself getting dizzy. The sight of his parents hanging there brought many unwelcome memories about dreams he had had while Voldemort was still alive. Taking in a deep breath, he forced himself to stay calm. He looked around and noticed nearly two- dozen death eaters were surrounding his friends. Ryan and Malfoy were shouting at each other, but Harry didn't pay them attention for the moment.  
  
From within the shadows, he hissed softly, attracting Derek's attention. The snake slithered down Ron's arm, without the teen's notice, and, using the darkness to cover him, he went to join his master and friend. Now that he had Godric, Echo and Derek with him, he softly began to talk to each of them.  
  
"Derek, asss sssoon asss I ssstart talking with Malfoy, I want you to begin the fight. Bite that Death Eater over there." He pointed to the dark-robbed man standing closest to the crosses. "Jussst bite everyone who comesss near to you. Be careful to not bite Professsor Sssnape, he would not be happy."  
  
"Sssure Massster."  
  
Without saying anything else, the snake went away to take his position. Harry fumbled with a piece of parchment for a moment, he wrote a quick note down and gave it to Echo. "Please go give this to Snape, he's the one standing near that pillar there. Come back when he has it, I need to talk to you then."  
  
The little fairy nodded and flew away, flying near the ground so no one would notice her. Harry saw her going up to the man and tugging at his hand insistently. Snape barely moved, but Harry saw him take the note and read it silently. The professor then shifted a little and Harry saw him looking through the darkened room for him. Even if Harry was sure Snape couldn't see him, he saw the man nod, and knew the professor would do as he had asked. The return of the small fairy drew his attention away from his teacher.  
  
"Listen, Echo, when the fight has started, I need you to go to my parents and loosen their bonds." He turned to Godric. "When Echo has freed them, I need you to take them out of here. You will be able to carry them, won't you?"  
  
The phoenix looked insulted, but didn't make any sound. Echo just nodded her head, and the two of them flew away leaving Harry alone. Taking a last deep breath, Harry dropped the last of his walls, and felt the familiar golden aura start to surround him. It was showtime.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. 


	39. Battle

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
As soon as Harry spoke, the whole room froze. The Death Eaters turned to look at him and he started to walk, pausing when he was standing just behind his friends. Harry noticed with some pleasure that several of the black robed men had a panicked look in their eyes. Just after the Dark King had stated his name, a startled and pained yell rang through the room. Harry saw, with some amusement, how one of the Death Eaters fell, soon followed by the one standing next to him. The sudden commotion was accentuated when another Death Eater fell, this time not due to Derek, but at the hand of Snape. Harry could see the man holding his wand tightly, hiding it from view within his robes.  
  
Thinking it was time to enter the fight himself, Harry thrust his arms out from his sides and was rewarded by the sound of several bodies hitting the walls. The sound seemed to break through the trance that held the rest of the Death Eaters in their place.  
  
When a third death eater fell due to the bite of his snake, the first of the curses began to fly through the room, effectively putting Ryan, Dumbledore and Daniel in motion. The fight quickly escalated, and soon Snape dropped all pretence and began to curse every Death Eater in sight, standing at Dumbledore's side and protecting the older man's back.  
  
In the mean time, Harry had gone to Ron's side. The four other teenagers had been fighting against two Death Eaters. With Ron and Hermione doing most of the work, all the while trying to protect Sirius and Remus at the same time. Harry's hand shot forward again, and the two Death Eaters flew through the room, slamming into the crucifixes that were still holding James and Lily.  
  
The four teens turned around. Ron and Hermione smiled broadly at their friend, happy and relieved to see him there. On the other hand Sirius and Remus looked at him fearfully, trying to cope with the fact that a dead person had just come to their rescue. Harry noticed their discomfort, but realized that this was not really the time to try and calm his future godfather and his best friend.  
  
With a small smile, he turned his gaze to Ron and Hermione. "I have to go deal with Malfoy. I need you to bring these two to safety? Echo and Godric will take care of James and Lily and will carry them to the Chamber's entrance. Wait there for them, and then stay back till Derek or I come to open the doors for you. Ok?"  
  
Ron and Hermione nodded. They were not very happy, leaving Harry alone to face Malfoy, but they knew better. Their friend would be too much focussed on their safety to fight well and in the end it would only serve to hamper him. Muttering lightly, Ron took Remus's arm and began to drag him across the room, cursing the few Death Eaters in his path. He could hear Hermione and Sirius walking after them, and even further back he heard Harry starting his fight with Malfoy. At that moment Ron prayed. He prayed for his friend's safety and for the fall of the Dark King.  
  
The moment Sirius heard his godson's voice he had been surprised. A mixed feeling of reassurance and concern filled his mind to the point when it threatened to break him down. Harry was there. That in it's self was a calming fact. The power of the teen had already begun to seep itself throughout the room filling him with warmth and strength. On the other hand, he felt very concerned. He had barely had news about how Harry was doing. Dumbledore didn't want to attract attention and had limited the letters between godfather and godson. The last letter he had received had said he was doing well, but Sirius had learned to mistrust those words when it was Harry saying them. He was snapped out of his reverie when Harry slammed a few Death Eaters against the walls. His instincts came rose again and at the same time as Daniel, he brought his wand up and the fight began. Soon he was much too occupied with cursing the black-robed men to keep track of what Harry was doing. He really didn't need to guess. He knew Harry was going to face Malfoy, the same way he had faced Voldemort, and the only thing he could do to help his godson was keep the Death Eaters away from them and stay safe.  
  
From the corner of his eye, Harry saw Godric floating Lily down while Echo began to untie James. If Malfoy noticed this he didn't do anything to prevent it.  
  
The two wizards watched each other intently. Harry clearly felt the other man drop his own magical barriers and a green light began to surround him. While the other man was concentrating on that, Harry carefully began to build a barrier. He was sure the fight was going to be intense and he had no wish to destroy the chamber or harm his friends in any way. Once the barrier was almost done, Harry turned his attention to Malfoy and frowned. He had sensed that magical aura before. It was nearly the same aura that Voldemort had possessed, and much to his surprise it was nearly as powerful. That couldn't be right. The last time he had seen Malfoy he hadn't been that strong. The older man seemed to sense his confusion and smirked.  
  
"Surprised, Potter?"  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes. "You've become very powerful, but it won't help you." Harry nearly gave a relieved sigh when he saw Godric fly away with James and immediately finished putting up the barrier.  
  
Malfoy saw a blue light envelope them, but it didn't seem to bother him. He grinned.  
  
"Oh, really? We'll see about that. Ready to duel?"  
  
Harry smirked. "That is why I came."  
  
Both wizards bowed slightly, each never taking their eyes from the other. Harry had just righted himself when Malfoy began the duel. The curses flew back and forth, sometimes hitting their mark, sometimes bouncing against the shield.  
  
As the duel progressed, Harry grew more and more flustered. It didn't make any sense. This man, who had only been Voldemort's second, was proving to be much more powerful than his former master. Something was wrong. Harry was sure that if the Death Eater had had that kind of power when Voldemort was still the Dark Lord, he would have usurped his position and killed the other wizard. Then again, a wizard of Malfoy's age didn't suddenly have a burst of power like the one he was displaying. Not naturally at least. There had to be something or someone helping him, giving him more power than was naturally his. While Harry was mulling over this puzzle, his concentration slipped. The power behind his curses began to lessen. Malfoy's voice startled him out of his thoughts.  
  
"What's the matter, Potter? Growing tired?"  
  
Harry shook his head, trying to drive his thoughts away and cursed softly. He knew he needed to concentrate on the duel, he was having enough trouble as it was. But once again, a thought filled the teen's mind. Why hadn't Malfoy attacked him? He had had the perfect chance to finish the duel, he could have used all the power he now seemed to possess to win, but instead he had warned him. Why? The suspicion that something was wrong grew stronger.  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes and tried to recall the last curses the Dark King had thrown at him. Was it his imagination or had Malfoy been using less power? With that thought in mind, Harry rolled out of the way of the latest curse Malfoy threw, following up with three curses of his own. The first one was mildly powerful while the next one was very weak and the last one very powerful. Harry looked closely at Malfoy, waiting for his reply. There it was and as Harry had suspected the Death Eater's curses mimicked the power levels he had used and in the right order. So that was it, now it all made sense. Malfoy hadn't grown more powerful, he was just using the power Harry put into his own curses. He must have found someway or found something that absorbed Harry's power and permitted him to use it as his own. Now he only had to figure out what it was.  
  
Harry began to use less power in his curses so he wouldn't tire out so quickly. Between throwing curses and dodging the ones that were thrown at him, the teen kept his eyes firmly on his rival. Suddenly, after having rolled out of the way of one nasty hex, Harry saw something shine on Malfoy's chest. Carefully, he edged a bit closer to the other man and finally caught a good glimpse of the shinning object. It was a pendant, a coal black gem surrounded by two snakes.  
  
Before he could see any more details, Malfoy used Harry's diverted concentration to send him flying with a banishing charm. Harry slammed painfully against the barrier, holding in a scream and ignoring the pain that throbbed through his body, Harry sent a curse and observed the gem. The teen had to hide his grin when the gem lit up with a green glow. He had been right, that little pendant was the source of his problems and he needed to get rid of it.  
  
A plan began to form in his mind. It was reckless and Harry didn't know if it was going to work, but he had to try. Slowly, Harry began to gather all of his power in his right hand, while at the same time giving Lucius the impression that he was getting tired. Harry saw the glint of victory pass through Lucius' eyes and after several minutes of putting in a show, he allowed one of the less damaging curses to knock him down. This time he didn't get up. He could hear his friends' screams on the other side of the barrier and Lucius's footsteps approaching, but he didn't move. His hand had begun to glow with the power he had gathered in it, but Harry was carefully hiding it under his cloak that lay sprawled over him.  
  
Two feet stopped in front of him and he heard Malfoy's sneering voice gloating over him.  
  
"Well, well, well, it seems little Potter has finally met his match. You honestly thought you were going to be able to kill me, boy? I'm not a fool like Voldemort was. I don't attack unless I'm assured of my victory."  
  
Harry stayed still, not answering the man.  
  
"Nothing to say? Oh, well, it doesn't matter. The Boy Who Lived will disappear now, and without you, it will be very easy to kill your parents." Malfoy let out a cold laugh. "Any last words, boy?"  
  
Then everything happened at once.  
  
Harry shot up from where he had been lying and with a lightning fast movement, placed his glowing hand on Malfoy's necklace, gripping it tightly.  
  
The Death Eater froze in place and Harry heard soft gasps coming from the other side of the room.  
  
Looking straight in Malfoy's ice-blue eyes he whispered  
  
"Destructo."  
  
The gem absorbed all the power that had accumulated in his hand and began to pulse with power, becoming brighter with each passing second. Immediately, Harry dropped back to the ground and covered his head with his hands. The necklace started to hum, the light became brighter and finally, just when Harry thought his plan had failed, the expected explosion came. In giving the necklace all the power he had gathered, he had overloaded it and caused it to explode.  
  
Harry heard Malfoy's scream and looked up slightly. He saw the man flying across the room and collide with the magical barrier that Harry had managed to keep in place with the remainder of his power.  
  
What happened then was horrible.  
  
The power from the necklace was now surrounding Malfoy. Soon, the power of the magical barrier added to the mix and started to flow into the man with such force that it began to tear him apart.  
  
Harry turned away in horror and covered his ears, trying to drown away the images and screams of the dying man.  
  
Finally, when all sound died down, Harry dared to look up again, unsure as to what he would see.  
  
Ash.  
  
Ash was all that was left of the Dark King.  
  
Harry shuddered and closed his eyes again, curling up in a small ball. It was over. He had won again, but this time he had killed another human being, not in an accident but deliberately.  
  
Drawing in a ragged breath, Harry gave in to the darkness that had been calling him since he had released the power. He didn't have the strength to stay awake any longer. The others would have to sort things out on their own. The only thing he wanted to do now was rest.  
  
With his last conscious thought, Harry groaned: He was going to have to spend a lot of time in the Hospital Wing.  
  
To be continued…  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta readers, Tanya and Gates. 


	40. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past:  
  
Ryan slowly opened his eyes and saw he was lying on the ground in the Chamber. Groaning, he stood up and looked around. Next to him were Daniel and Dumbledore, and a little farther away lay Ethan, the children, Snape and a few Death Eaters. None of them seemed to be showing any signs of waking up. Sirius frowned in confusion, the last thing he remembered was a bright light shinning through the room and then… Suddenly, fear gripped him and he started looking around frantically for his godson. His eyes caught a small bundle lying still on the other side of the room. As fast as he could manage, Ryan rushed to Harry's side and knelt next to him. The boy had his head buried in his arms but was breathing. His shirt had been torn during the fight and Ryan could clearly see slight burns and bruises forming along the child's back and arms. Gently, he rolled the boy onto his back, supporting his shoulders with an arm.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
The boy didn't even stir. With a worried sigh, Ryan cradled Harry into his arms and stood up. Turning around, he saw that Daniel and Snape had already woken up and were checking on the others. He walked up to them, and both men looked up at him, concerned.  
  
Daniel stood up from where he had been kneeling next to Hermione and walked up to him. "How is Harry, Padfoot?"  
  
Ryan shrugged. "I have no idea, he's completely out of it. We should wake them up and get going. I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary, and I imagine that Harry, James and Lily will be much more comfortable in a bed than in this place." The two men nodded and began to wake up their companions, starting with Ethan and Dumbledore, and then taking care of the children. Ryan leaned against a wall, pulling Harry closer to him, watching as Ethan and Daniel lifted the still unconscious James and Lily into their arms. Nearby, Sirius and Remus looked on anxiously, while Ron was walking around the chamber with Hermione, looking for Derek. They knew they wouldn't be able to get out if they didn't find Harry's snake.  
  
Ryan suddenly felt something wrapping itself around his leg. He stiffened and looked down. Sighing in relief he saw his godson's pet slithering up his leg. Looking up again, he turned to where Ron and Hermione were. "Kids, I've found Derek." Looking now at his waist, he corrected himself. "Or, more likely, Derek has found me."  
  
The teenagers chuckled softly and walked over to them. Snape had already cast a levitation charm on the unconscious Death Eaters and was waiting, somewhat impatiently, as Dumbledore finished rebuilding the room. Once everyone was ready to leave, Ryan left his place on the wall and walked to the doors. The snake hissed something and the doors opened without a sound. Silently, they all walked down the hall, each buried in their own thoughts.  
  
When they arrived at the hospital wing, they saw McGonagall already waiting there with Danielle and Madam Pomfrey. The nurse immediately made them all lay down before she started to check on James and Lily. Ryan refused to get into a bed and was sitting next to Harry, one of the child's hands firmly clasped in his own. Ryan was startled when Madam Pomfrey appeared next to him. The nurse looked down at him disapprovingly. "You should be sleeping, or at least, you should be lying down in bed."  
  
Ryan just shrugged. "I'm not about to leave Harry alone." He turned his gaze to his godson. "How are James and Lily doing?"  
  
The nurse began to move her wand over Harry. "They're fine. They were just under a sleeping charm. It seems that whoever kidnapped them didn't have the time to do anything."  
  
Ryan frowned, that was very unlike Malfoy, but he was way too tired to figure it out right now. Finally Madam Pomfrey finished looking over Harry and turned her wand to him. "Will you lay down? I want to check you out."  
  
Ryan scowled at her. "I'm fine, I'm sure you have better things to do than to worry about me out. Check on the others."  
  
The woman sighed exasperated. "I've already done that. Now will you please lay down?"  
  
"No. How is Harry doing?"  
  
The nurse rolled her eyes and sighing she decided it was best to answer him. "He's fine as far as I can tell, those bruises are quite nasty and I think it will be better to wait a bit to heal them, I have no idea how my magic would react with his right now. He has nearly exhausted every bit of magical power he had and I don't want to risk permanent damage. Other than that he will be exhausted, so it will be back to lots of rest, you know the drill. And now, for the last time, will you get into bed!"  
  
Sirius shook his head stubbornly, gripping his godson's hand tighter, and the nurse glared at him, but before either of them could say another word, a soft voice called out 'Stupify' and Sirius slumped backwards into his chair. Madam Pomfrey looked up, startled, only to see the elder Dumbledore standing calmly in doorway, idly twirling his wand.  
  
At the nurse's surprised look, the old man smiled and came in.  
  
"So sorry to interrupt your lovely argument, but having known Sirius Black for many years has taught me that this is the quickest way to get him away from Harry and into a hospital bed."  
  
The nurse chuckled softly and McGonagall, who was sitting next to the headmaster's bed, laughed. Dumbledore levitated Ryan into the bed next to Harry's, prying Black's hand away from the child's, and then settled down into a chair between the two younger men. Turning towards Madam Pomfrey, the headmaster looked at her gravely. "So, tell me, how is everyone doing?"  
  
From another spot, Sirius had been observing the event with curiosity. His mind had been bursting with questions, even more so when the second Dumbledore entered the room. He turned to Ron, who was lying on his back next to him, looking at the ceiling pensively.  
  
"Ron?"  
  
The youngest Weasley male turned his head.  
  
"That's really your name, right?"  
  
The red-haired boy smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, that's my name. What do you want, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius motioned to the stunned man lying in the other bed. "Is that really me?"  
  
Ron chuckled and looked at Madam Pomfrey who was just beginning to check 'Ryan' over, after having explained the situation to Dumbledore. "Yeah, that's you. A few years older, of course, but still you." With a smirk he added, "Who else would be that stubborn?"  
  
Sirius chuckled and turned to where Daniel was already sleeping. "And that's Moony."  
  
Ron chuckled. "Yes, that's er... Moony." He shook his head in amusement. "It's weird thinking about him that way."  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow, but his gaze had already moved on to Harry. "Now, for the million galleon question, who is that boy? You know, the one that is supposed to be dead and is called Potter?"  
  
Ron laughed softly. "That, my dear Padfoot, is your future godson, the one and only son of James Potter and Lily Evans. Otherwise known as Harold James Potter, The Boy Who Lived. And everything else you need to know will be explained later, because Madam Pomfrey is not looking happy. We'd better stop talking."  
  
The nurse was indeed glaring at them from Ryan's bedside. With a sigh, Ron sank back down into his pillows and closed his eyes. "Night, Sirius. Good night, Hermione, don't have too many nightmares."  
  
Ron could feel Sirius's incredulous gaze on him, but he smiled when he heard Hermione answer him from his other side. "Same there, Ron, better leave it to Harry, it's his job to have nightmares. Night guys."  
  
Remus, who had also been listening, turned to Hermione. "Er, do you think we are going to have nightmares?"  
  
But the girl didn't answer him, she had already fallen asleep.  
  
Remus shared a look with Sirius before lying down and going to sleep himself.  
  
Looking around the hospital wing, Sirius caught the eyes of the elder Dumbledore, which were twinkling under the dim light of the candles. The old man smiled slightly. In a soft whisper, as not to bother the sleeping patients, Dumbledore spoke. "Go to sleep, Mr. Black, everything will be explained in the morning."  
  
Nodding, Sirius lay down and closed his eyes. He hoped the headmaster was right, because he still had thousands of questions to ask.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Also thanks to Tanya and Gates for beta- reading this. 


	41. Complications

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Once again, Ryan woke up feeling disoriented, but this time he wasn't lying on the cold floor of the Chamber. Instead he was lying on a soft bed. Before he even opened his eyes, he knew where he was: the hospital wing.  
  
Sighing, he remembered Dumbledore saying the stunning charm, and since the Dumbledore of the past had, by then, been lying in a bed already asleep, he had to assume that the older Dumbledore had arrived.  
  
Slowly, Ryan opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone else was still asleep in their own bed. Even Dumbledore, sitting in a chair between his and Harry's beds, was sleeping. Standing up, Ryan stretched and then levitated Dumbledore into his bed. The headmaster really shouldn't have to sleep in a chair at his age. Immediately after that last thought, Ryan chuckled softly, the old headmaster would have his head if he knew what his ex-student had been thinking.  
  
Looking around once again, he noticed that Snape, Ethan and the Death Eaters were missing; he supposed Dumbledore had ordered the Potions master and the young Gryffindor to bring them back to their own time before they could cause any more harm. Ryan didn't know if that were possible, considering all that had happened, but it was better not to risk it. Memories could be erased, but people couldn't be brought back to the land of the living.  
  
The younger Dumbledore was also missing, along with Madam Pomfrey. Ryan guessed they had gone away to talk since they would risk waking everyone up if they conversed in there. Silently, he sat down in the chair Dumbledore had just occupied and once again took one of Harry's limp hands into his. In the morning light, Harry looked even paler than he had the night before, which did nothing to alleviate Ryan's fears. Of course, he should be used to it by now, Harry spent more time in the hospital wing than anyone else before him, but yet Ryan could never get used to see his child so still, it was unnerving. A soft sound tore him away from his musings. Looking around, his eyes caught a pair of blue ones that were watching him intently from another bed. Ryan gazed back at his younger self; slightly unnerved at the intensity he could see in those eyes. After a few minutes, Ryan was forced to look away. Those brilliant eyes that, even when serious held the mischievous glint in them, were bringing him bad memories. His eyes should have been like that, maybe a tad older and wiser, but still bright and happy. Yet, when he looked in a mirror, all he could see was the dull pale eyes of a man that had seen too much horror and that had gone through things that no one should ever have to.  
  
Shaking his head sadly, as if trying to drive those bad thoughts away, Ryan fixed his gaze on Harry while softly adressing the other boy.  
  
"Good morning, Sirius. How are you feeling?"  
  
Ryan heard the teen moving on the other side of the room but didn't look back. After a few moments, he heard soft footsteps approaching and saw a dark figure come to stand next to him. He didn't look up.  
  
"Good morning." Sighing, the teen added, "What should I call you?"  
  
The older man shrugged his shoulders. "Professor, Ryan, Padfoot, whatever you want. Just better not call me Sirius, that would led to confusion."  
  
They stayed in silence a while longer before Sirius's uncertain voice broke it again. "You are me, aren't you?"  
  
Ryan simply nodded and Sirius continued. "Why are we so different? I look at Moony and Professor Moon and can clearly see they are the same man, but you and I. we, don't really look that much alike."  
  
Ryan bit his lip in thought. What was he supposed to tell the teen? He could hardly tell him the truth, could he? It was just too horrible. A quick glance at his younger self made him sigh again. He knew that look. Sirius was determined to know the truth, no matter what. Finally, Ryan answered. "Time affects people in different ways, Sirius. Moony and I have gone through hell and back, but it has affected us differently."  
  
Ryan could almost sense Sirius frown, but didn't add anything else. A gentle hand on his shoulder made him look up. His eyes locked once again with those brilliant blue pools as the teen softly asked, "Please, tell me? What happened to make me finally live up to my name?"  
  
Ryan chuckled softly at the overused joke and looked back down at his godson. "Why do you need to know, Sirius? Is it really that important?"  
  
The young man didn't answer for a while. "I. I guess it's not. Still I would like to know. I would like to be prepared for whatever it is that must come."  
  
Ryan's soft voice rang through the room. "Nothing can prepare you for Azkaban, Sirius. And nothing can prepare you for the deaths of two dear friends and the betrayal of another." Ryan heard Sirius's shocked gasp, but continued. "Moony and I are all that's left of the Marauders. James died at Voldemort's hand when Harry was barely one. Lily died with him, leaving their son alone. And Peter. Peter betrayed us, all of us. He gave away James's and Lily's hiding place to Voldemort and after that, he managed to get the ministry to believe I had done it." Ryan's deadened eyes locked with Sirius's shocked ones, once again. "Absolutely nothing can prepare you for twelve years in Azkaban."  
  
Ryan then turned his gaze back on Harry, leaving Sirius to his thoughts. Daniel, who had been awake for quite a while, but had decided it best to leave his two friends on their own, now stood up and went to stand next to Ryan.  
  
"Good morning, Padfoot."  
  
Smiling sadly at the teenager, Daniel greeted him, too. Then, turning his attention to the bed, he put a hand on Harry's forehead, noticing with much relief that the child didn't have a fever. Letting his hand fall back to his side, Daniel turned around and walked to Lily's bed. Ryan followed him with his eyes, looking concerned when his friend frowned. "What's wrong, Moony?"  
  
The other man shook his head, but as he walked up to James's bed, his frown deepened. "Moony?"  
  
The werewolf finally looked up. "I'm not sure, Padfoot. I sense there's something wrong with them, but I can't pin-point it. It's strange. I'm going to get Madam Pomfrey. Maybe I'm wrong."  
  
But Ryan couldn't help but frown with worry. He knew his friend, and he knew he rarely was wrong about those kinds of things. Ryan would have gone to check for himself, but just then, Harry started to stir.  
  
**************************************************************************** *******  
  
Harry moaned softly. He wanted to roll on his stomach as his back was really hurting him, but someone was holding onto his hand too tightly, restricting his movement. He struggled weakly against the other hand until it seemed to understand his need to move and let go. Harry immediately rolled over, but the relief he felt in his back was short-lived, for immediately after he had moved, he felt himself beginning to fall. Before he hit anything, strong arms wrapped around his waist and he felt himself being lift up into the bed again. Gentle hands moved him on his stomach, and then pulled some hair out of his eyes. Sighing, Harry opened his eyes slightly, and saw Ryan's concerned gaze fixed on him.  
  
Ryan kneeled slightly and put a hand on his godson's check. "Harry? Are you ok?"  
  
His voice was weak and slurred when he answered. "Yeah, fine."  
  
His godfather, though, didn't seem to believe him in the least. Pulling the blankets up to his neck, he looked away, and through a haze, Harry heard him talk to someone else before his vision darkened again.  
  
Ryan had asked Sirius to go to fetch Madam Pomfrey. When he turned back to the still figure of his godson, he sighed. It seemed Harry was once again out of it. Sitting back into his chair, he returned his attention to Daniel.  
  
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"  
  
His friend looked up from his place next to James's bed, a frown still etched on his face. "I told you I wasn't sure. How's Harry?"  
  
Ryan shook his head and frowned. "He's out again, but don't change the subject. You must have a reason to think something's wrong, Moony. You wouldn't be acting like this if you weren't really sure."  
  
Daniel went to sit next to his friend. "I really don't know, it's just a feeling. It feels like they are in a very deep sleep. a bit too deep, like something is trapping them inside themselves."  
  
Ryan looked at him with knitted brow. "How on earth can you sense something like that?"  
  
Daniel smiled softly. "We werewolves can sense if there is some awareness around us. People who are awake are very easy to sense, but when you go to sleep, most of your awareness rests as well. There is still some part of your mind that stays awake and werewolves can sense that part as easily as they can sense someone who is awake. That part in James and Lily is very small right now. Smaller than it should be. That usually can only happen as a result of a potion or curse. That's why I think something's wrong. That, and the fact that Malfoy didn't appear to do anything to them, that just didn't make sense."  
  
The two friends fell into silence until Sirius returned with Madam Pomfrey and the younger Dumbledore. The woman had indeed been in the Headmaster's office discussing the condition of the party. She immediately went over to Harry's bed and checked his injuries, re-wrapping the bandages that had come loose from the movement around his back. Once she was finished, Daniel moved over to her and spoke to the nurse in hushed tones. After a few moments, they moved to Lily and James's beds, and Madam Pomfrey checked them over once again, this time taking special care to look for any signs of poison since she had already established the night before that here had not been any charms placed on them. Finally, she sighed and came over to where Daniel, Dumbledore and Ryan were waiting.  
  
"You were right, Daniel, there's something wrong, but I'm afraid my expertise isn't sufficient enough to determine what kind of poison it is. We'll need Danielle."  
  
The witch was sent for, but sadly could not pinpoint what kind of poison it was, either. They were at a loss as to what they should do, when the older Dumbledore finally awakened. After having explained to the old headmaster the situation, he would sent a letter to the future and ask Snape to come back, since his knowledge of potions, especially those involving the dark arts, was much more extensive than either of the two witches possessed.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta readers Tanya and Gates. 


	42. Fading

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
Professor Snape arrived a few hours later. He hadn't been at Hogwarts when Hedwig had arrived with the urgent message, and McGonagall had been forced to go get him at the Ministry. Snape entered the infirmary quietly and went to the beds where James and Lily lay sleeping. The only ones that had remained in the hospital wing, were Ryan, who was watching over a sleeping Harry, Daniel, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey, all of whom were hovering beside the two cursed teens.  
  
"What's wrong with them?"  
  
The adults looked up at him in relief; even Ryan tore his gaze away from Harry to look at his long time rival.  
  
The elder headmaster put a hand on Snape's shoulder, and in a hushed voice, told him what Daniel and Madam Pomfrey suspected. The Potions Master nodded and left the hospital wing, telling the others he would go talk to Danielle, since his old Potions professor had already started doing different tests on the teens' blood.  
  
It was a while later when the peace of the hospital wing was shattered by Ryan's cry of anguish. There, under his gaze, Harry was starting to vanish.  
  
Dumbledore and Daniel rushed to his side and looked horrified as Ryan pulled the semi-transparent child into his arms, calling his name frantically. A few minutes later, Snape rushed into the room, with Danielle at his side. The two Potions professors stopped in their tracks at the sight that greeted them. Everyone remained still as Ryan softly continued to call Harry's name. The small boy was becoming more transparent by the minute and there didn't seem to be anything they could do about it. Finally, Snape pulled himself out of his reverie and walked to Dumbledore.  
  
"Headmaster."  
  
The old man looked at him questioningly, he appeared to be unwilling to shift his gaze from the teenager he seemed to be losing.  
  
"Have you found out anything, Severus?"  
  
The dark man nodded and pulled the headmaster away from the bed and into the nearby office. The news he was bringing wasn't good and he didn't want to distress Ryan further.  
  
After the door of Madam Pomfrey's office closed, Snape turned to Dumbledore. "This is very serious, Albus. Danielle and I have tracked down the potion, it wasn't that hard after all. It's an ancient dark potion., Voldemort never liked it much because it didn't inflict physical pain on the victim, it just made the one who drank it go to sleep, to be forever plagued by the worst nightmares you can think of. There are two antidotes, but one of them has to be given to the victim before they become poisoned. That's the only one I told Voldemort about. The other antidote requires a hair of a blood-relative. I think Harry would be able to give us a hair."  
  
Sensing there was a 'but' coming, the headmaster waited.  
  
The potion's Master sighed and continued. "But Harry is disappearing by the minute, and the potion takes one day to get brewed. From what I've seen, I don't think the boy will last that long. Lily still has that blasted sister of hers, but James has no other blood-relative, making it impossible to make the potion."  
  
Dumbledore paled even more at the news. "Do you know of a way we could preserve one of Harry's hairs, Severus?"  
  
The man shrugged. "How, Albus? Harry is disappearing. You can't preserve something that wasn't there to begin with. We are not playing with curses here, we are playing with time, and that's a very dangerous thing."  
  
Dumbledore put his head in his hands. "Isn't there any other way?"  
  
But the man was already shaking his head before the older man had finished asking his question. "I'm afraid not, Albus. You see, Voldemort liked the idea of the potion, but he didn't like the fact he wasn't able to witness the effects first hand. He preferred to see his victim's mind crumble under the nightmares. That's why he asked me to experiment with the potion, he wanted me to find a way to view the effects first hand, either by entering the person's mind or being able to awake them at will. I came up with that antidote but it seemed to be impossible to find one that would awake an already poisoned man."  
  
"Could you find it now?"  
  
"No, I don't think so. You see, the potion pulls the mind of whomever had swallowed it into the world of nightmares, as I've taken to call it. Once the mind is there, there's nothing we can do to pull it out. The antidote I designed formed a link between the body and the mind that made it impossible for the mind to get lost, and allow you to call it back with a charm." Dumbledore processed that information and sank back into a chair. His gaze shifted to the door. He had to do something, or else the life of the child he had learned to love more than anything would be lost. He couldn't allow it; that would destroy not only his live, but also the lives of the people who loved Harry, and there was quite a list. Eventually, he noticed that Snape was looking at him worriedly. Having made a decision, he stood up.  
  
"Severus, how long would it take for you to make the antidote?"  
  
The man looked a tad bit confused. Hadn't the headmaster been listening to him? Shaking his head, the man thought for a moment. "I guess I could have it done by tonight, I think Danielle has all the ingredients I need in her store room."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Do it then, please. Oh, and before you go back to the dungeons, go tell Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, I need to talk to them." Before the man could leave the office, he added, "Don't tell Sirius about it."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, in the main room of the hospital wing, Ryan was sitting in a chair, with Harry snuggled closely to him, sitting on his lap. Daniel had left a while ago, telling him he would be in the library if he was needed. Madam Pomfrey was still hovering between James and Lily, hoping they would give some sign of consciousness. Harry had yet to re-awaken and Ryan was becoming desperate. No matter what Daniel told him, he knew he was losing his godson. He didn't need anyone to tell him what was happening, he could figure it out himself. If they didn't get James and Lily to wake up, they would never be married and Harry would never be born. So many things would be altered in their future; he knew it was possible that he could also disappear, but the first one to leave existence would be Harry. He angrily brushed his tears away, the mere thought of Harry leaving his life was almost more than he could cope with at the moment.  
  
He was somewhat startled when Snape exited Madam Pomfrey's office and left the hospital wing without a word to them. Not that he really cared. The less said between the two men, the better. Still, Sirius was curious to know what was going on; if the other wizard had found out something. He was debating whether or not he should go after him and demand an explanation, when he felt the child in his arms begin to stir.  
  
Hopeful, Sirius softly whispered his name. "Harry?"  
  
Green eyes opened for the second time that day. "Sirius?"  
  
The boy's voice was soft, Sirius had to strain his ears to hear it. "Yes, it's me, kid."  
  
Harry frowned. "I feel weird, Sirius."  
  
Sirius felt the blood leave his face, and hoped Harry wouldn't notice. Not such luck. The boy's frown deepened. "What's going on, Sirius?"  
  
The man bit his lip. He wasn't sure how to answer that question. Should he tell Harry the truth, tell him how they had failed after all they had done to protect James and Lily? In the end, no explanation was needed. Without him noticing, Harry had lifted one of his hands to his face and saw it for himself. He could see right through his hand, which was becoming more and more transparent as the minutes went on. Shifting his gaze, Harry looked at his future parents. In an even softer voice, he asked. "Are they dead, Sirius?"  
  
The man choked but shook his head. "They are sleeping. We. we can't wake them up. Remus and Madam Pomfrey think it's a potion. Snape is working on a antidote, and I'm sure they'll wake them up soon."  
  
Harry closed his eyes. "You know you won't be able to. I'm disappearing, it means it's too late."  
  
Sirius wanted to deny it, wanted to tell Harry everything would be alright, but he couldn't, he knew it wasn't true. At the lack of response from the other man, Harry sighed and pulled away as much as Sirius's arms would let him.  
  
"Sirius..." The man looked down at him, with tear filled eyes. "You don't have to stay with me, Sirius. I think it would be better for you to go away. You don't have to see me die."  
  
The arms that were holding him tightened their grip. "No, Harry. I'm not leaving you. Not now, not ever. I'll stay with you always. You have been alone for too long, and I won't allow you to be alone now."  
  
Harry looked at him for a while, but saw that under the tears, his godfather's eyes were determined. No one would get him away from his godson. Nodding, Harry snuggled closer into the man's arms, closing his eyes tiredly.  
  
"I feel comfortable in your arms, Sirius. There's no other place where I would be rather than here. Don't put me back in the bed."  
  
Sirius choked a sob and put his cheek against the near-transparent head of his godson. "I won't."  
  
Harry nodded and drifted off to sleep. Sirius wanted to wake him. He didn't want his godson to go to sleep and possibly never wake up again. But he knew it was better to let the boy rest. Harry probably didn't want to be awake to watch himself disappear, and Sirius wouldn't be the one to deny him that.  
  
Watching the two from the door of Madam Pomfrey's office was Dumbledore. He looked older than anyone had ever seen him look. But behind his glasses, his eyes were roaring with a forceful light; he wasn't going to let this child disappear. not if he had any say in the matter.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And lots of thanks to my beta-readers, Gates and Tanya.  
  
One last thing, the wonderful author Sun princess has started translating the Betrayal to French, anyone who wishes to read it in that language can find the story under the name of: "La Trahison" http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=849109  
  
Lots of thanks Sun princess for your wonderful translation. 


	43. Plans

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Dumbledore had once again entered Madam Pomfrey's office by the time Ron and Hermione arrived. The teens' faces betrayed the fear they felt for their friend. Snape had apparently told them what was happening. Dumbledore smiled at them reassuringly, then made them sit down in front of him, while he took Madam Pomfrey's chair.  
  
"I'm sure Professor Snape has already told you what is going on."  
  
Both friends nodded.  
  
"The professor is currently working at an antidote for the poison that has been given to James and Lily. And with it, we should be able to set things right. The problem is that the cure has to be administered to them before they drink the poison."  
  
Both teens looked even more worried. Ron's strangled voice ran through the room. "How are we going to do that?"  
  
Without a word, Dumbledore brought his left hand out of one of the pockets of his robe. Clutched in it was a shinny, golden hourglass. Hermione breathed, a bit surprised. "A time-turner? You want us to go back?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, you'll go back to when James and Lily were in Hogsmeade. There you can slip the antidote in their drinks. Remember, the situation is different than when we travelled back here, this time you yourselves will be there."  
  
Hermione nodded. "We can not allow anyone to see us."  
  
But Dumbledore shook his head. "Not exactly, you can't allow anyone inside Hogwarts to see you, Lily and James can since they don't know where you are."  
  
Ron sighed and put his head in his hands. "All this time travelling is starting to get confusing. So, we go back to yesterday, just enough to put the antidote in their drinks, and then what? We come back? We stay there?"  
  
He and Hermione both looked at Dumbledore questioningly. The old man thought for a while. "I think it will be safer if you just wait there. Imagine you come back and you've not yet left. This time-turner is not able to narrow the time down to the minute as you would need it to."  
  
The teens nodded in understanding, but they had another concern, which Hermione voiced. "Where will we be staying? We can hardly come to the castle, too many people could see us. And we can't stay in Hogsmeade either, people would ask too many questions."  
  
"You can stay in the shrieking shack. No one will come looking for you there," Dumbledore said looking from one to another. "Any other questions?" The two teens shook their heads and Dumbledore smiled reassuringly at them. "In that case, you should get going. I'm sure you will want to grab a few things before going. Professor Snape will come and meet you in your common room with the antidote. Remember to look at what time exactly you're leaving so you know when to return."  
  
Both teens nodded and stood up, sensing Dumbledore had nothing else to tell them. Just when they reached the door, the old man wished them good luck and they left. Once again they had to cross the hospital wing. Sirius was there, with Harry still in his arms. The man had moved onto the bed and was looking blankly at the small boy, as though willing him to return. But instead of coming back, Harry was fading more with each passing moment, and the two teens could now clearly see Sirius's body through their friend's. Ron and Hermione looked at each other sadly, wondering if they should approach the man or just leave him alone. A soft voice made the decision for them. "Go back to your common room, you need to get ready."  
  
They turned to Dumbledore, who had followed them out of the office, and nodded. With a last glance at Sirius and Harry they silently left the room.  
  
Dumbledore approached the bed carefully, unwilling to startle the man. If Ryan heard him, he didn't show it. The man remained motionless, his eyes never wavering from Harry's sleeping form. "Sirius?" He didn't move. Dumbledore sighed and shook him gently, trying to get his attention. "Sirius, snap out of it, child."  
  
The man shook his head slightly and finally looked up. "Sorry. What did you want, Albus?"  
  
Dumbledore looked for a moment at the deadened eyes of his friend, before moving his gaze to Harry. "I just wanted to tell you that we're doing all we can to get James and Lily to wake up. We have a plan. Do you wish to hear it?"  
  
Ryan lowered his head again and shook it. "Why bother? Harry is disappearing. Isn't that proof enough that it's hopeless? Nothing will wake them."  
  
The old man frowned. "You shouldn't lose hope, Sirius. There are still things we can do, they are not dead. I think it will work."  
  
The man didn't respond. Once again, he had sunk back into his own thoughts. Dumbledore sighed, there was nothing he could do for the younger man if he didn't choose to listen. For a moment he considered making Sirius take a break from watching Harry, but finally decided against it, knowing that short of cursing him, nothing would make him leave the room.  
  
Shaking his head, Dumbledore turned around and left the hospital wing, heading back to Madam Pomfrey's office. He wished he could go for a walk through the grounds to clear his head, but he couldn't risk it. The students were going to ask too many questions as it was, so he had to stay in the small room until everything was over and they could safely return to their own time.  
  
  
  
Ron and Hermione arrived at the common room after their chat with Dumbledore, only to find it in chaos. One time loyal housemates, screaming and yelling. In the center of the melee were two boys. Sirius was on top of Peter, attempting to beat the hell out of him. He was calling his friend a 'filthy traitor' while Remus tried to get his black haired friend to calm down and let Peter go. Remus was looking very confused and Hermione supposed he had yet to hear what Ryan had told Sirius of their future. At least, that was what she had assumed had happened. Ryan could have a really big mouth at times, as if they weren't in enough trouble as it was. The others in the common room had never seen such a fight. Not between Marauders. They were almost family! Half the boys in the room were debating loudly whether or not they should help Remus in his struggles, while the others just cheered. Anxiously wanting to see something that would relive the stress of the past few hours. The girls, on the other hand, were shrieking, trying to get physically as far away from the fight as possible, while remaining close enough to still having a good look at the mess.  
  
Hermione looked next to her at Ron, who was reclining lazily against the doorframe. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Shouldn't we do something?"  
  
Ron stretched calmly. "Do you know, Hermione, how many times I've dreamed about doing the very same thing Sirius is doing now?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile. "I can empathize, Ron. But that doesn't change the fact that Wormtail has to be alive, or else there's really no sense in us going back."  
  
Ron nodded. "I know, Herm, but can't we wait a bit? It's such a good show."  
  
Hermione looked reprovingly. "I'm not worried about Peter getting hurt." She nodded towards Remus, who was beginning to have problems restraining Sirius, even with his superior strength. "I'm worried about Remus. You know Sirius wouldn't forgive himself if he hurts him, and you know how little restrain Padfoot has when he's angry, if we don't step in, Remus could easily end up in the Hospital Wing."  
  
Sighing, Ron straightened up and nodded. "Ok, but it's only because of Remus, and you will be the one to take Peter out of the room, deal?"  
  
Hermione nodded, although the prospect wasn't really appealing. "Deal."  
  
Both teenagers approached the struggling trio, and the common room became silent except for the shouts of Sirius and Remus, and Peter's pathetic whimpering. Ron quickly latched onto one of Sirius's arms, allowing Remus to centre his attention on the other. Between them, the two boys were finally able to pull Sirius off Peter. Hermione quickly hauled the smaller boy onto his feet and dragged him out of the room and up the stairs leading to the boys' dormitories. Once there, she dropped him on his bed and firmly told him to stay put unless he wanted another beating from Sirius, and this time from Remus as well.  
  
Back downstairs, Sirius was absolutely livid with Ron, and had begun to shout furiously at the red-haired boy. Ron just looked him calmly and dragged him to a couch. When Hermione came down the stairs, Sirius was still ranting, despite Remus' strained efforts to make him calm down. Hermione sat down in front of him and regarded him flatly; a moment in which Sirius paused to take a breath, she calmly stated: "You're behaving like a stupid prat."  
  
Those words effectively shut the boy up and Ron took it from there. "Now, first off, I think you should explain your behaviour to Remus, he looks ready to have you committed, and with good reasons too."  
  
Remus nodded vigorously, relieved that someone had been able to shut Sirius up and that apparently he was about to discover what this mess was about.  
  
Sirius looked resigned, but before they could get up and leave he had to ask them something. "Why? Why did you stop me?"  
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "I thought that would be obvious, Sirius. Peter Pettigrew didn't die in his common room at the age of fifteen at the hands of Sirius Black. It would break the time-line, and it's already damaged enough as it is, so there's no sense in doing more harm."  
  
Sirius frowned. "But it would change everything for the good."  
  
Ron shook his head. "You don't know that. Look, the night James and Lily died, Harry not only survived Voldemort but also made him disappear, for thirteen years. Lord Voldemort became little more than a shadow and people were given the chance to live in peace. If we do what you're asking, if we allow you to kill Peter, Lily and James might live, but so might Voldemort. Do you have any idea how many people that bastard could kill in thirteen years? He could also still kill the Potters and Harry, and that would be the end of our society as we know it."  
  
Hermione nodded in agreement. "We know it's hard to take. I mean, imagine how it is for Harry! But everything eventually works out. In our time Voldemort is no more and we are able to live in peace. All this because Harry survived and grew to be the most powerful wizard in history. Leave it be."  
  
With those last words, Hermione stood up. Ron followed, and they both went to their rooms to collect clothes and food. Sirius, on the other hand, sighed resignedly and turned towards Remus, who still looked completely confused, and began to explain what had happened.  
  
  
  
It was nearly eight when the entrance to the common room swung open. Ron and Hermione looked up and stood as they recognised their Potions Master entering the room. Taking their bags and ignoring the curious looks they were getting from their fellow Gryffindors, the two friends walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.  
  
Out in the hall, Snape gave Hermione a small vial filled with an amber coloured potion. "That's the antidote. You have to put three drops in each of their glasses, no more." He turned around, but before he left he added, "Don't mess up."  
  
Ron's face grew red in anger, but Hermione put a calming hand on his arm. "Leave him. You know he's a bastard and he's not going to change. Come on, we should get going, we don't have time to lose."  
  
The boy calmed down slightly and nodded. "Where do we go?"  
  
Hermione shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, we'll appear in another place no matter where we depart from. Lets just go into an empty classroom so no one sees us leaving."  
  
But a soft voice interrupted them. "You're leaving?"  
  
Both teens turned around sharply, they hadn't heard the portrait swinging open. Sirius and Remus were regarding them accusingly. Ron sighed in relief and Hermione clutched the vial tighter. "Don't do that, Remus."  
  
Remus just looked at the girl and repeated his words. "You're leaving? Just like that?"  
  
Ron and Hermione exchanged annoyed glances and the boy answered. "We're going to do something to help Lily and James."  
  
Sirius narrowed his eyes. "We're coming with you."  
  
"Oh no, you're not," Hermione said shaking her head firmly. "It'll be tricky enough for Ron and I to pull it off. There's no way we're taking you with us."  
  
Remus was now glaring at them. "Why not? James and Lily are our friends."  
  
Ron raised an eyebrow. "And Harry is ours, your point is?" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Listen, this is going to be very dangerous. If we do something wrong, we could end up messing up the whole time-line, and believe me, it's already messed up enough as it is. Bringing you along is a risk we cannot take."  
  
Sirius looked furious, and Ron could tell he was barely restraining himself. "Where are you going? What makes you so special that you can do this and we can't?"  
  
Hermione looked at him seriously after having exchanged another glance with Ron. "We are going to the past, to yesterday to be exact." She paused for a moment before asking the angry teens something. "Now answer me truthfully. Could you face Lily and James before they were kidnapped and not tell them what was about to happen? Could you really act naturally around them so they don't grow suspicious. Could you maybe even stand by and watch as they get kidnapped and not do anything about it?"  
  
Sirius looked even more furious. "You're going back and you're not going to help them?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "We're going to help them. We're just not going to mess with the time-line, not if we can help it. It's the same situation as with Peter. James and Lily have to be kidnapped, it has to happen, but we'll make sure that it ends more to our liking."  
  
Remus sighed in defeat and nodded in understanding. "I understand, but that doesn't mean I have to like it." Then he looked up defiantly at the two teens while Sirius leaned back against the wall. "How do we know you'll be able to pull this off?"  
  
Ron smiled slightly. "We don't know, but we have been in this situation before. I know neither Hermione nor I will stop the kidnapping. And as for James and Lily suspecting anything,." Ron shrugged. "They don't know us that well, I'm sure we can easily fool them."  
  
Ron looked down at Hermione when he felt her hand on his arm. "We really need to get a move on, Ron, we're wasting unnecessary time" Looking at the two teens, she added. "Please, stay here where you're safe. If you've any more questions, look for Daniel. I'm sure he will be willing to answer them for you. And stay away from Peter. As much as I hate the damned rodent, we have to keep him alive, we have enough trouble as it is."  
  
Hermione started to drag Ron away, but the redhead turned around and uttered a last warning. "Stay away from Ryan, he's very unpredictable when Harry's hurt or in danger and it doesn't get much worse than this. Also, stay away from the man that came to get us. He has a foul temper and he hates your guts."  
  
Then he turned around and quickly followed Hermione, leaving the two teens staring at them, wondering what they should do next.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my betas, Tanya and Gates. 


	44. Trust

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the past.  
  
Ron and Hermione suddenly appeared in the transfiguration classroom. Why they had arrived in that particular spot was beyond them, but neither stopped to question the fact. Hermione silently opened the door and peecked outside. She was relieved to see that the students were either in their common rooms or outside, leaving the halls empty. Both teens quickly walked down the halls, using the smaller ones to get away from any potential crowds. They decided to use the corridor behind the witch to get to Hogsmeade, it was the safest way. Ron looked at Hermione while they walked down the dark path.  
  
"Well, what do we do now, Herm?"  
  
The girl shrugged slightly. "Since Professor Dumbledore said James and Lily can see us, I guess the easiest way to do this is seek them out. Once we find them, we invite them for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks and either you or I slip the potion in their drinks."  
  
Ron nodded pensively. "I guess that's ok. Now we only have to find them."  
  
Hermione didn't comment since they had arrived at the entrance to Honeydukes. Carefully, they crossed the cellar and went out without anyone noticing them, it seemed luck was on their side. Both friends found themselves back in the open and paused a moment in front of the store to try to decide where the other two teens might be. They didn't exactly know what had happened with the death eaters since Snape hadn't been in the kidnapping party. Sighing, Hermione decided they might as well start looking, after all, they didn't have all the time in the world. Ron led her to Zonko's first, knowing James, that was a very likely place for them to be. Sadly, they were not there. The two friends looked around for a while, going in and out of the different shops, until Ron spotted a red haired girl near the post office. Quickly, he dragged Hermione towards the building and they came face to face with Lily. The girl looked very startled when she saw them, and blinked twice before greeting them.  
  
"Ron! Hermione! What are you doing here?"  
  
The brown-haired girl suppressed the urge to throttle her and smiled a bit. "We wanted to get out of the castle for a bit, it's getting too boring in there. What are you doing here, Lily? Are you alone?" The redhead shook her head slightly. "I'm here with James. He wanted to buy some pranks to pull tomorrow at breakfast."  
  
Hermione tensed, she was getting angry. She saw that Ron had also reddened a bit and she quickly caught his arm, squeezing it gently to calm him down. It wouldn't do them any good to get angry at the two foolish teens. Before either teen could speak again, James came out of the building with a big bag clutched in his arms.  
  
The boy smiled brightly at them. "Hey guys, good to see you here." He turned towards his girlfriend. "I did sent the message to your mother, Lils, I hope she'll answer soon."  
  
The girl nodded and kissed him quickly. "Thanks, James."  
  
Ron and Hermione watched on, beginning to get impatient. When James and Lily broke apart, Hermione immediately spoke. "Hey, guys, how about we go drink something warm, I'm getting cold."  
  
The happy couple readily agreed and started to lead the way to the pub, the other two teens trailing behind.  
  
Immediately after entering the place, Hermione told her companions she would go get their drinks. Before leaving, she traded a quick look with Ron, motioning for him to get James and Lily as far away from where a young Madam Rosmerta was serving. The boy nodded slightly, and gently steered the other two teens to a seat in one of the darkest corners while Hermione went to fetch the drinks. Ron watched his friend carefully when she returned, four drinks balancing in her hands. With a small smile, she offered two of the glasses to James and Lily, who thanked her. While giving Ron his own drink, she nodded slightly, indicating she had done what they had agreed and that within minutes both teens would be protected.  
  
Sadly, before they could begin to drink, the shouts started. The four friends looked out of the window and saw about ten death eaters throwing curses on people. James and Lily went to get up, they knew they had to leave, just as the other customers were doing, but Ron was quicker. The red haired boy sprang out of his seat and grabbed their wrists. The four teens stayed still for a moment, each of them looking at the others intently. Finally, James spoke in a soft voice. "Ron, we need to get out of here, Death Eaters are attacking, so can you let go of my wrist?"  
  
The other boy nodded slightly, but still didn't release his grip. "I know. And we will get out of here, but I need you to drink your butterbeer before we leave."  
  
James' eyes narrowed and he started to wriggle his wrist out of the boy's grasp. "There's no time to drink now! We could be killed and all you can think about is your stomach!"  
  
Ron regarded him calmly and tightened his grip. "James, drink!"  
  
Before the teen could answer, Lily, who had been looking at Hermione intently, spoke. "Why? Why is it so important?"  
  
The brown haired girl looked at her for a moment, before looking out of the window again. "I cannot tell you that now. Please, trust us and drink."  
  
Lily kept her look trained at the girl. "You're asking for a lot, why should we trust you?"  
  
Hermione looked back at her sharply. "Why you should trust us? Well, how about because our best friend saved your lives by giving up his own? How about all the times Ron and I have tried to protect you? Even now, why the hell do you think we're here? It's not like we have to be in Hogsmeade, we could safely be at Hogwarts, away from the Death Eaters. But the two of you just decided to leave the safest place you could find just for some bloody pranks! Do you have any idea what will happen if the death eaters get to you?"  
  
Before they had a chance to answer, Ron sharply jerked their wrists.  
  
"Enough! Drink the butterbeer and we will leave. We are wasting time. The death eaters are getting closer and soon there will be no way to get out of here."  
  
James looked like he wanted to argue some more, but Lily finally took the goblet and slowly started to drink. With a resigned sigh, James did the same, but before drinking, he glared at the other two teens. "If something happens to Lily, you will regret it."  
  
Ron looked steadily back. "Nothing will happen to her." In his head, he added, 'In the end'.  
  
After the young couple had finished their drinks, Ron released their wrists and turned around. "Come on, we don't have more time to lose."  
  
The four teens rushed out of the pub without another word and quickly headed towards Honeydukes. Hermione saw them coming; a group of five death eaters, lurched out of the shadows of a building and silently approached them. The girl, who had been running along side Ron, grabbed her friend's hand and dragged him back into a dark alley, just in time to avoid the stunning curses that had flown their way.  
  
The five cloaked men stood over the stunned forms of James and Lily for a while. One of them turned toward the one that seemed to be the leader. "The other two got away. Should we try to get them?"  
  
The leader looked pensively for a moment and Ron and Hermione held their breaths. After a moment, the man shook his head. "No, it isn't worth it. We have what we came for, lets go before the Master gets impatient." Taking a hold of the two teens, the five Death Eaters disapparated. Ron and Hermione stayed in place for a few more minutes and then, without uttering a word they walked out of the alley and started their walk towards the shrieking shack.  
  
They had done what they could, now it was all up to Harry.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta reader Tanya.  
  
For those of you who don't read Free, I have several announcements to make (namely two.) The first one is that I've started my own updating group, in a while I'll stop sending mails so anyone who's still interested in knowing when I update, please sign up in: groups.yahoo.com/group/polaris_45 That was done mainly because the emails I had were starting to fail, meaning many people who had asked me to receive the notice didn't get it.  
  
The second one is that for those who are interested you can now find Dangers in the Past translated to French. It is being done by Fany, the story is called: Dangers du Passé and you can find it at the following direction: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=891105 I hope those of you who prefer to read in French will be happy.  
  
Well, that's it, thanks for listening (reading) to my ramblings ^.^ I'll see you again in the next chapter. Polaris 


	45. Vanished

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Dumbledore was sitting in Madam Pomfrey's office along with Snape. Neither was talking, both far too worried about Harry and how things were going in the past. The potion's master was upset with Dumbledore because he was trusting two teens to save them all. He had tried to argue about sending Ron and Hermione back, but Dumbledore had told him with unusual sharpness to keep his opinion to himself. He knew the old man was worried, hell, even he was worried, and not only because their future was at risk. A few months ago, Harry and him had become friends, but sadly, the unusual circumstances had broken that friendship. It was mostly his fault, he knew that very well, Harry had not really done anything, but he had been angry at the web of lies Dumbledore and Harry had been wrapped in not so long ago. (A/N: That will be explained in the prequel I'm planning.)  
  
A sharp cry broke the silence that had been suffusing the room. Both men shot up from their seats and rushed to the door, hoping they would see James and Lily awake. The sight that met them shattered those hopes. The two teens were still lying in their beds unmoving. Sirius, however, had moved. Instead of holding Harry, he had draped his arms around his knees and his head was hidden in them. His entire body was trembling, and Dumbledore suspected he was crying. Looking around, he felt himself grow pale. Harry was nowhere in sight.  
  
In a sharp voice, the old headmaster spoke. "Sirius, where's Harry?"  
  
The crying man didn't move from his position. Before Dumbledore got the chance to repeat his question, Snape moved past him and walked up to Sirius. Gripping the distraught man's robes tightly, he roughly hauled him on his feet and shook the man forcefully, ignoring the tears running down Sirius's checks.  
  
"You heard the headmaster, Black, where's Potter?"  
  
Sirius choked back a sob and looked away. With an outraged cry, Snape slammed him against the wall.  
  
"Where's Harry, damn it!"  
  
"Severus calm down!"  
  
But the enraged potions master ignored him and shook Sirius again. Finally, the man stopped sobbing long enough to answer him. "He disappeared. Completely. It's over."  
  
Dumbledore sagged against the door, a desolated look in his eyes. Snape's hands went rigid and Sirius's robes slipped from them. Since Severus was no longer holding him up, Ryan slumped against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the ground. The potions master stayed completely still, looking ahead from him, his normally burning eyes oddly hollow.  
  
"He can't be dead." He shook his hair lightly. "He can't be."  
  
Dumbledore looked up at him. "Hermione and Ron aren't back yet. We have no idea what has happened. How long would it take for the potion to take effect?"  
  
Severus shrugged slightly. "I don't know. It depends on the person, it affects everyone in a different way."  
  
They stayed silent for a long while. Sirius had once again curled up and wasn't paying any attention to the other occupants of the room. He didn't even look up when the doors to the infirmary opened and two weary teens came in. Ron and Hermione stopped short at the scene that met their eyes. Hermione looked hesitantly up at the headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore? What's wrong?"  
  
The old man gave them a tired look. "Harry disappeared completely."  
  
Both teens grew pale. Ron shook his head forcefully. "But that can't be! We gave them the potion. Hell! We nearly forced it into them."  
  
Severus and Dumbledore looked at them sharply. "Are you sure about that?" Both teens nodded.  
  
"Tell me exactly what happened."  
  
Hermione and Ron complied. Both men were slightly relieved that the two teens had managed to do things right. Now they only had to wait. Sighing, Dumbledore looked back at Ryan and silently cast a sleeping charm on him; the poor man needed to get a good rest and it would be better if he remained asleep while they waited. Snape picked up a chair and sat down on it, his eyes now trained towards Lily and James. The headmaster sent Hermione and Ron off so they could get some rest. The hospital wing was once again silent.  
  
  
  
Harry had awakened the moment he felt his body dissolve into nothing. Just when he did, he knew he had to do something or not even if his parents woke up would he be able to come back. Summoning all his energy together, Harry placed a protective wall around himself. Silently, he floated up, waiting to see what was about to happen. Snape and Dumbledore had barged in when his Godfather broke down crying. Harry was torn between anger and happiness when he saw Snape slam Sirius into a wall. Anger because he was hurting his Godfather and happiness because at that moment, he knew the friend he had come to appreciate during the previous months was still there, even if Snape had been furious at him and had reverted to his usual nasty self. He couldn't really blame Snape for it, it had been his and Dumbledore's fault.  
  
He listened on carefully as Ron and Hermione quickly explained what had happened, slightly amused by the way things had gone. After that, everyone seemed to calm down, except for Sirius, who was lost in his own world and didn't seem aware of what was going around him. Dumbledore luckily saw it, too, and he took matters into his own hands, putting the man to sleep and settling down to wait with Snape.  
  
Now that everything seemed to be ok, he turned his gaze towards his future parents. He knew that Dumbledore and Snape had done everything they could, and that it was only a matter of waiting, but he wondered if there wasn't anything he could do to help them along the way. A golden light suddenly enveloped him and drew him closer to James' sleeping body. A weird pulling sensation ran through his limbs before he was sucked into it, without a chance to make a sound. Not that it would have helped, since he had 'disappeared'.  
  
When Harry was once again aware of his surroundings, he saw he was at the Hogwarts grounds, but there was something strange; it was dark and silent, as if nothing had been living there for a long time. No sound even came from the forest. The place was starting to make him feel nervous, but there was something tugging at him faintly. Looking around, he decided to walk into the castle, since the pull came from there, and it couldn't be that bad inside.  
  
  
  
He was wrong.  
  
  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Yes, I know I'm evil, bear with it, you shouldn't be that surprised, you know me and cliffangers. Anyway, thanks for all reviews, and thanks for my beta reader Tanya.  
  
You can now find Free being translated to french by Kelly Exvagus, the story is called Libre and you can find it: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=918972 


	46. James' nightmares I

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Harry walked slowly into the hall. Everything was unnaturally silent and dark; he could barely see his hand in front of his face, so he was forced to walk slowly, fearing he would collide into something. Even going so slowly, he couldn't help it when he slipped on something wet and fell flat on his face. Groaning in pain, he pulled himself up to his knees and frowned. The floor was covered in something; it felt thicker than water and he couldn't really determine what it was, it also smelled weird. Slowly he stood up, noticing that his clothes were also wet with the substance. He stayed still for a moment, trying to determine what to do, when he finally decided some light was in order. Lifting one hand in front of him, he concentrated slightly, and very slowly a golden light began to shine.  
  
Immediately he wished he hadn't done that. The sight that met his eyes was gruesome; blood was covering the whole floor. Harry shuddered, he had seen some bad things in his life, he should be used to seeing blood, but for some reason seeing only the blood, without a source, seemed to make the sight worse. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself somewhat, he tried to ignore the blood and walked forward, following the pull he still felt. He was a bit startled to find himself in front of the closed doors that led towards the Great Hall. That was strange. Those doors were nearly never closed, they were too big and would have been a nuisance for the students to open every time they went to eat. He considered turning around and looking elsewhere, but the pull kept drawing his attention to the door. Even before he had walked up the first steps of the staircase leading to the upper level, Harry found himself turning around and walking back to the doors. Half annoyed with himself, he put a hand against the door and gently pushed.  
  
A resigned sigh escaped the boy's lips when the door opened without a sound. He had half been hoping it wouldn't so he could turn away. Shaking his head, he entered the room slowly, being careful to not slip out on the blood that was still running across the floor. Once inside, the door closed silently after him, Harry turned slightly, not very surprised, after all this was turning to be a scene of an old horror film.  
  
Muttering to himself, he raised his hand higher and made the small light shine brighter. He immediately wished he hadn't done it. Now he knew where the blood came from. The floor was completely covered with mutilated bodies.  
  
Harry stumbled backwards until he was leaning against the door, the light in his hand wavered until it went out, leaving the boy once again in darkness. Long minutes passed while Harry tried to get his wits back, he had to remain as calm as possible if he wanted to find a way out. Suddenly, a small sound rang through the room, making Harry jump ten feet in the air. It had been very soft but it had resounded in the unnatural silence of the castle as loud as a gunshot.  
  
Harry quickly made the light appear again, whatever it was that was still alive in the room, he wanted to see it rather than let it kill him. A few more minutes passed, while he carefully scanned the room. He was starting to think he had imagined the sound when he saw a small movement coming from the gryffindor table. Slowly, trying not to step on the bodies, Harry walked toward the table. He was very startled when he saw that the sound wasn't coming from any kind of beast, not even from a death eater. Instead, his eyes locked on the small shivering figure of his future father. Young James was sitting against the wall, with a seemingly dead Lily cradled in his arms. Harry frowned. That couldn't be right, James had been asleep in the hospital wing and Lily certainly hadn't been dead. He began to remember what exactly had happened; after leaving his body he had been pulled to James and then everything went black. Narrowing his eyes, Harry began to put things together. He had not only been pulled to James, but apparently also into James. He was in his father's head, and from the looks of it, it wasn't a very pretty thing. Maybe that was why he hadn't woken up yet, if the boy didn't realise this was a dream rather than reality, he would probably not be able to wake up. With a new resolve, knowing he had to get his father out of the castle, Harry moved over to him and knelt in front of the boy, hoping he would be seen.  
  
Softly, Harry spoke. "James."  
  
The shivering boy looked up quickly. His brown eyes were big and hopeless, his frame started to tremble even more while he pulled Lily closer against him.  
  
Harry frowned slightly, wondering how long he had been there. "James, can you hear me?"  
  
The boy's terrified expression changed to one of confusion. "H.Harry? B.but you're dead! Am I dead?"  
  
Harry couldn't help but chuckle slightly, despite the situation they were in. "James, relax, you're not dead."  
  
The boy looked sadly down at his girlfriend. "Lily's dead."  
  
Harry shook his head firmly. "No, James, Lily's not dead."  
  
James looked up at him disbelieving. "Yes she is. Look."  
  
The boy moved the body he was holding a bit and Harry had to repress a shudder at the image of his dead mother. It was a painful reminder of what would happen in the future. Pushing his memories aside, he looked once again at his father. "Yes, I see her, but she's not the real Lily, this is not the real world, it's just a dream."  
  
James stared at him sceptical. "A dream? This is not a dream, this is real, Lily is dead."  
  
Harry groaned and put his head between his hands; he had to convince the other boy this was not real. Suddenly an idea started to form in his mind. "James, if this is real, then tell me how it come I'm here?" His future father looked at him in confusion. "I'm dead, remember? I couldn't be here talking with you if this was real."  
  
James looked pensive at him, loosening his grip on Lily. "You are a ghost."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow and extended his arm. "You cannot touch ghosts, try touching me."  
  
The young boy extended his arm tentatively, while Harry fervently hoped James would be able to touch him. The moment James touched him a bright light bathed the room and the bodies disappeared. Harry looked around, it seemed things were going well. His father shakily stood up and looked around in wonder. "It was all a dream?"  
  
Harry smirked slightly. "Well, more like a nightmare, but yes."  
  
James whirled around and looked at him intently. "How comes you're still here?"  
  
The boy's smirk softened. "You haven't woken up yet. I'm guessing I'll have to stay here until you wake up. I haven't much idea on what's going on, but it kind of makes sense. Let's get out of this room, it's starting to give me the creeps again."  
  
James nodded and together they left the great hall. When they were walking across the large lawns that surrounded Hogwarts, James spoke again.  
  
"Can I ask you something?"  
  
Harry looked at him questioningly. "Yes, of course."  
  
"Why did you do it?"  
  
James stopped walking and Harry turned to gaze him questioningly. "Do what?"  
  
"Jump in front of the killing curse for us, getting killed for us. I just don't understand it, you barely knew Lily and me."  
  
Harry sighed and turned around to gaze at the lake, wondering what he should tell the other boy. "Does it matter, James?"  
  
His future father nodded decisively. "It matters to me, I need to understand why you did it."  
  
Harry walked towards the lake and sat down next to a tree, motioning for the other boy to take a place next to him. "Well, it's a rather complicated story and I won't go into the details." James nodded and sat down next to him. "You see, Ryan, Daniel, Ethan, my friends and I, aren't exactly from your time-period. We come from the future. We went sent back by Albus Dumbledore to take care of the Death-Eaters of our time that had invaded yours."  
  
James gapped at him. "You come from the future?"  
  
Harry laughed. "Yes, that's what I said. I jumped in front of you because you weren't meant to die that day."  
  
James stayed silent for a moment, then he shook his head. "It still doesn't make sense. Even if you come from the future and I wasn't meant to die, you still don't jump in front of the killing curse for someone you don't know. It's useless to give up one live for another."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean it's useless for me to give up my life for my existence? That doesn't make much sense James."  
  
The other boy now looked completely confused. "Existence? What do you mean?"  
  
Harry laughed softly and extended a hand towards his father. "I'm afraid we haven't been properly introduced. My name's Harry Potter, and I'm the son of James and Lily Potter."  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta reader, Tanya. Sorry it took so long, it was difficult to get it right. 


	47. James' nightmares II

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
James sat looking at him in disbelief. They had already stayed like this for a few minutes and Harry was starting to get a bit impatient. Sure, he could imagine it was really a shock for the other boy to find out that he had, or would have, a son, but stranger things were happening at the moment and he needed to get past that. Finally, James looked up and shook his head.  
  
"This dream is getting weirder and weirder."  
  
Harry gaped at the other boy and then dropped his head against his knees. That was about the last reaction he had expected from his father. Honestly, he had been ready for the boy to be angry, happy or whatever, but James plainly thinking that this was still a dream was a bit too much. He had the urge to shake the other boy around, trying to knock some sense into him, but then realised it wasn't the time to do so. He needed to wake the boy up. Standing up, Harry looked down on James.  
  
"Do you have any more questions?"  
  
James looked at him, expression blank. "Lots, but I don't think I want to hear the answers right now. This is already weird enough."  
  
Harry silently agreed. Why should he waste his time explaining things when James wasn't even going to believe him? Extending his hand to help the other boy up, Harry nodded. "Yes, I think it's better for us to find a way to make you wake up."  
  
James also nodded. "Ok, but how?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I think it would be a good idea to try and find something out of place."  
  
The other boy snorted. "Everything is out of place, Harry."  
  
The raven-haired boy looked him a bit annoyed. "Do you have a better idea?"  
  
James shook his head and both boys started to walk around the grounds. Harry looked around, searching for a way to get out of there. James, on the other hand, was feeling weird, there was a strange sensation running through his mind, something pulling him in a distinct direction.  
  
"Harry, we have to go to the lake."  
  
The other boy looked at him intently for a moment and then simply nodded.  
  
They both stood, shocked, at the sight of the lake; the water, if that was indeed what now filled the lake, was completely amber instead of the usual dark blue. James bit his lip. "I guess this qualifies as weird, don't you think, Harry."  
  
But the other boy wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, he was looking towards a tree that had been planted near the lake. He was hearing faint screams coming from it, and instinctively he knew it was time to leave James and go help Lily.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
The boy looked back towards his father and smiled gently. "Go ahead, James, I think this will help you wake up. I am needed right now."  
  
James frowned in confusion. "Needed?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Lily is also trapped in a nightmare. I need to help her wake up."  
  
James gasped. "I need to help her, then. I'm going with you."  
  
His supposed son smiled softly at him. "I'm afraid that's impossible, James. You are in your body, trapped in your mind, and she's in hers. If you went into her mind, there's always a possibility that you wouldn't wake up, and that would mean that all our efforts have been for nothing. Please, jump into the lake and wake up."  
  
James didn't seem to agree with him and wanted to argue with the other boy. Harry put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Please, trust me, I know it's hard to ask, but you know I will do anything in my power to help her."  
  
James shook his head furiously. "I can't! Please, Harry, Lily's my life, I have to help her."  
  
Harry looked at him sympathetically. "I know, James, and right now, the best you can do for her is to simply wake up. Imagine what would happen if you helped her and died there. She would wake up to find you dead. Is that what you want?"  
  
The other boy sulked. "No."  
  
"Then, please, get into the lake and let me do what I have to do."  
  
James finally sighed and relented. "Ok, but if something happens to Lily, I will hunt you down, even if you're not more than a ghost."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not a ghost. Anyway, can you tell Ryan something for me?"  
  
James shrugged. "Sure, what is it?"  
  
"Tell him I'm alright, ok? That he doesn't need to worry."  
  
"Harry, you're dead."  
  
The boy looked at his future father, exasperated; it wasn't really James' fault, but sometimes the boy could be a bit dense. "Humor me and tell him."  
  
"I will be locked up in St. Mungos for it, but ok, I'll tell him. Anything else?"  
  
Harry shook his head and turned his attention towards the tree; the screams had become even louder and he was starting to get worried. Turning towards James once more, he motioned toward the lake.  
  
"Come on, James, get going."  
  
The boy looked hesitant again and Harry scowled, his patience was starting to vanish. "James, if you don't jump into that lake right now, I'm going to dump you into it."  
  
James looked at him. "Why don't you go help Lily? I will jump in when you're gone."  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes. "James Potter, you don't honestly expect me to leave you here alone, do you. I know that the moment I leave you will follow me."  
  
James blushed, but didn't move from his spot. Finally Harry had enough. He grabbed one of James' wrists tightly and started to drag him to the lake. James made a half-hearted attempt to get loose, but Harry was much stronger than he appeared.  
  
"Go on, in with you, and don't do anything stupid, ok?"  
  
Without waiting for an answer, Harry pushed the other boy into the lake. Immediately, the lake started to change colour and the world around him started to get fuzzy, a sure sign that James had made it and was starting to awaken. Harry quickly ran towards the tree; he knew he had to get out of the dream before James fully woke up. With a mighty jump, he crashed into the tree and everything went black.  
  
Roughly two hours had passed since Harry had vanished. Albus and Severus had not moved from their positions near the two beds, patiently waiting for some sign that the two teens were waking up. The older man was dozing in his seat; it had been a couple of stressful days and his age was catching up with him. Severus was just contemplating if he should move the man to a bed when a small sound attracted his attention. Quickly standing up, he moved closer to James' bed. The boy was stirring slightly, fighting to wake up.  
  
"Albus!"  
  
The headmaster woke up with a start and brushed the sleep out of his eyes. "Yes, Severus, what is it?"  
  
Dumbledore put on his glasses and saw the younger man standing over James' bed. "I think Potter is waking up."  
  
Albus immediately walked to his side, just in time to see the young boy opening his eyes slowly. Smiling softly, the old headmaster took the boy's hand in his. "Severus, please, go get my younger self, Poppy and Remus."  
  
The other man nodded and swiftly left the room.  
  
"Headmaster?"  
  
Dumbledore turned his attention towards the young boy. "Hello, James, you had us very worried."  
  
The boy slowly sat up, helped by the other man. "I had a weird dream. What happened?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled softly. "You and Lily were poisoned. The poison locked you up in your mind and gave you nightmares. I can imagine it was not very pleasant."  
  
James frowned. "I remember a weird man forcing us to drink something. He was strange. He laughed a lot, saying the Boy Who Lived would finally die."  
  
Dumbledore nodded slowly and squeezed his shoulder. "It's ok, James, that man has been dealt with. You don't need to worry about him any more. Do you want to talk about the dreams? I'm guessing they were quite terrifying."  
  
James shuddered slightly. "They were at first, but then they got better."  
  
The old man raised an eyebrow. "It got better? How so, James?"  
  
Before the teen could answer, four people entered the room. Madam Pomfrey immediately went to the bed to check him over while the two other men moved to Dumbledore's side. What really caught James' attention was the other Dumbledore that had come in. The young boy stared in confusion at the two headmasters; he could now see that the one he had been talking to was older than what he was used to be. Seeing his confused expression, Professor Moon chuckled.  
  
"I think young James is confused, Albus."  
  
Dumbledore laughed softly. "That's to be expected. I'm sorry I didn't 'introduce me' at first, James. I am Albus Dumbledore, your headmaster's future self."  
  
James' eyes widened at the news, even as he tried to ignore Madam Pomfrey. "You come from the future?"  
  
The younger headmaster nodded. "Indeed, they do. I think I should introduce to you Professors' Snape and Lupin."  
  
Snape scowled. "Potter."  
  
Remus shook his head, amused at the Potions Master tone of voice. He turned his attention towards his young friend. "Hello, Prongs."  
  
"Moony."  
  
James leaned back against some pillows Madam Pomfrey had put at his back, his mind completely confused.  
  
Poppy had turned her attention towards the men and told them James was perfectly fine, although a bit tired. After that she mover towards Lily to check if there had been any change.  
  
The men looked at her while she worked, a surprised shout made them turn to James again. The boy was sitting up straight. "Wait a second! Do Ryan, Ethan, Ron and Hermione also come from the future?"  
  
Remus looked confused at his friend. "Yes, James, why?"  
  
"Harry was telling the truth!"  
  
Snape immediately sized James by his shoulders and shook him a bit. "What's this about Harry! What do you know about him?"  
  
Remus calmly pushed Severus aside, noticing how uncomfortable James was looking, given his arch-enemy's behaviour. "Please, James, tell us what you mean."  
  
The boy frowned. "He was there, in the dream. He helped me realise that I was having a dream, then he helped me wake up." The boy looked towards his sleeping girlfriend. "Before I jumped into the lake, he told me he had to go help Lily."  
  
The adults looked at each other in confusion. Dumbledore sat down in a chair and calmly asked James to tell them everything that had happened, starting with how they were kidnapped.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and specially thanks to my beta reader, Tanya. 


	48. Lily's nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Harry woke up to the sound of loud screaming. Before he even opened his eyes, he knew he didn't like that voice. It was familiar and brought back many bad memories. Frowning, he cracked an eye open, the voice of his aunt still resounding throughout the room. Looking around, he noticed he was in a cupboard and that the door was slightly ajar. Pushing himself up, he looked through the crack and blinked. Sure enough, his Aunt Petunia was there, but she couldn't have been older that 17. That fact brought his mind back from his memories, remembering he was probably in Lily's mind, not at his relative's house. Frowning and wondering who his aunt was screaming at, Harry pushed the door open. Kneeling in front of his aunt was his mother. Tears were streaking her young face while she petted the slack hair of an older woman that appeared to be dead. While focusing at Petunias words, his gaze moved through the half-destroyed room, taking in the sight of the dead man at his Aunt's feet.  
  
"You freak! This is entirely your fault! It's because of you that Mom and Dad are dead; you killed them. You and those black clothed people. Who were they? Some of your freakish friends that decided to have a party?"  
  
Harry saw his mother flinch and finally understood what was going on. It seemed Death Eaters had attacked the house and killed his grandparents. Petunia, being her usual stupid self, was blaming her sister for everything. Harry tried to calm the fury he was starting to feel, it seemed his aunt hadn't changed much in twenty years. Calmly raising his hand, he did a bit of wandless magic and transfigured the girl into a toad.  
  
Lily, upon hearing the small pop, looked up, fearing more Death Eaters would appear. Instead of the dark robbed men, she was faced with a small, green, toad. Blinking, she looked around a bit. Not sensing any danger, she returned her attention to her sister. A soft voice coming from behind made her release her mother's head and whirl around. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that."  
  
Lily strangled a cry and gaped at the figure that had stepped out of the cupboard. "Harry! That's impossible."  
  
The boy smiled softly and slowly walked up to her. "Hello, Lily."  
  
The girl was completely confused and it showed in her bright green eyes. "I don't understand, what's happening?"  
  
Harry smiled; it seemed his mother was much more bright than his father was in times of trouble. "Lily, do you remember what happened? With the Death Eaters?"  
  
The girl frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Everything. Do you remember?"  
  
Lily nodded slowly. "They kidnapped us and took us into the Forbidden Forest. James tried to knock the ones that were holding him, out, but they were very strong. They dumped us in a cage, in front of a blond man. They called him the Dark King, or something like that. Then that man started to rant about finally getting his revenge and killing the Boy-Who-Lived or something like that. Then two of the Death Eaters forced me to drink something and everything went black. After that I woke up here and." Lily's frown deepened. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. Why would they have let me go? Besides, it was Christmas and now it's warm; it can't have been that long. What's going on?"  
  
Harry was relieved, this would be much easier than with James. "You're asleep. The potion they gave you caused you to go into a deep sleep, filled with nightmares. You wouldn't be able to wake up without help."  
  
Lily's eyes brightened. "That makes sense."  
  
Immediately after she said those words, the bodies of her parents and the small toad that was her sister, disappeared. Lily blinked. "What happened?"  
  
Harry went to stand next to her. "You realised everything was a dream and your mind was no longer forced to see things it didn't want to."  
  
Lily nodded. "Ok. But what are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to help you wake up. My friends already helped you as much as they could, but you needed to realise this was all a dream for it to be of any help."  
  
"Your friends?" Here eyes widened. "Ron and Hermione, they knew!"  
  
Harry chuckled softly. "Yes, they did."  
  
"How?"  
  
"It's complicated, Lily. We are playing with time here." Harry sighed, he was starting to feel drained. "I need to get you to wake up."  
  
The girl looked like she was about to protest, but seeing the tired look on his face, she nodded. "How do I wake up?"  
  
Harry started to walk around. "James woke up by jumping into the lake at Hogwarts, it was amber. I'm guessing it was the potion Ron and Hermione gave you that let's you see the exit. Where's the kitchen?"  
  
Lily silently led him to the room at the back of the house. Once there, she swiftly walked over to the sink, as if driven by a strange force. Without hesitating, Lily let the water run. As with the lake, the water was amber. Looking up, she saw Harry was looking towards a shining door that had appeared in front of the table. "What's that, Harry?"  
  
The boy smiled at her. "I think that's my door out of your dreams, Lily. I could hardly stay in your mind while you wake up."  
  
Lily looked a bit disappointed, but nodded anyway. "I guess that this is a goodbye then."  
  
Harry chuckled. "No, it's not. You'll see me as soon as you wake up. At least, I hope you will."  
  
Lily looked confused. "But you're dead!"  
  
Harry smiled mysteriously. "Am I? I did earn the name of the Boy-Who-Lived for a reason, Lily."  
  
Without another word towards the stunned girl, Harry stepped through the door, feeling it close after him.  
  
It wasn't till three hours later that Lily started to regain her senses. James had gone back to sleep after explaining to the adults what had happened. This time it wasn't a sound that alerted them that Lily was waking up, but a soft golden light that started to glow around the bed Harry had been sleeping in. Snape and Lupin immediately hurried towards it and were overjoyed to see the shape of a body start to appear from within the light.  
  
The same time Harry landed on the soft bed, Lily opened her eyes, taking her surroundings in, a confused look in her green eyes.  
  
The younger Dumbledore was immediately at her side, ready to explain what had been going on. At the other bed, Severus was quickly making sure Harry was alive, Madam Pomfrey, who had been alerted to the boy's reappearance by Lupin, soon joined him. Between the both of them, they were able to affirm that Harry was indeed alive, and after that Madam Pomfrey shooed them away so she could asses how the condition of the boy had changed in the few hours he had been without body. Lupin and Snape were watching her work from Sirius's bedside. The other man had not woken up yet, and Dumbledore had assured them it would still take a while. Severus was starting to get nervous when Poppy finally left Harry's side and walked to them.  
  
"Well?"  
  
The woman smiled slightly at the impatient Potion's Master. "He's extremely tired. His bruises and burns have completely faded, probably because of his disappearing and reappearing, but the boy is exhausted, he will need lots of rest."  
  
Both men groaned and leaned against the bed. Lupin covered his eyes with a hand. "Sometimes I'm so happy Sirius is Harry's godfather. He is the one who has to deal with the boy when he's ill."  
  
Snape chuckled. "He's quite a handful when he has to stay in bed, isn't he?"  
  
Remus nodded miserably. "That he is." Turning to the nurse, who was laughing softly, he asked, "Poppy, will we be able to move him? Dumbledore wants us to leave this time as soon as possible."  
  
Poppy Pomfrey looked pensive for a moment and then nodded. "Wait two days or so, just to make sure he's completely stable and has had the chance to recuperate a bit, then you can take him away."  
  
Severus and Remus nodded, then the nurse moved towards Lily, to make sure the girl was alright, Snape walked out of the room to go talk to their own Dumbledore and Remus settled down in a chair next to Harry's bed.  
  
Now, they only had to wait for him to wake up.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and thanks to my wonderful beta reader Tanya. 


	49. Discoveries

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past:  
  
When Ryan woke up, he saw that he was lying on a bed in the hospital wing. The light in the room was dimmed, and it was most likely very late at night. Stretching carefully, he tried to remember why he was there, what had happened. A rush of images flooded his sleepy brain, making him wake up completely.  
  
He had failed.  
  
All his efforts in protecting his godson, his son, had been for nothing. Harry had disappeared and he was sure he would be following soon, because without Harry, he really didn't have anything to live for. Of course, there was Remus, but that wasn't the same. The other man had become used to be lonely, even if they liked to stay close to each other, Remus didn't need him the way Harry had. And he couldn't provide Sirius with an objective, something to focus on. Sighing, the man sat up in his bed and looked around the ward, trying to make out who was still there. To his right, James and Lily were still lying motionless, it looked like they were barely breathing, but Sirius couldn't bring himself to care anymore. Without Harry, James and Lily were nothing else but names of old friends in his head. Trying to shake those depressing thoughts out of his mind, he looked at the figure sitting in a chair between the two beds. He was slightly startled to recognise McGonagall sitting there, silently dozing. Of course, it made sense that someone would stay with the two teens, but Sirius thought it was kind of useless, they weren't going anywhere. Turning his head to the other side of the room, he saw someone sitting on a chair, much the same as McGonagall, with his back turned to him. He easily recognised his best friend, but couldn't help but wonder why he was there. From his bed, he tried to see the person lying in the bed Moony was watching, but his friend shielded his view. Sirius debated about just lying back down and forgetting about it, but his curiosity won out. Softly, he slid out of his bed, trying to not make noise, and he padded to his friend's side.  
  
His breath stopped at once in his throat, it just wasn't possible. For a second, he thought it must be James, that they had moved the teen from the bed he had been using to this one. But deep in his mind, he knew that was not true. He would never confuse Harry for James, he had come to know his young godson well enough to recognise him anywhere. While his mind kept telling him this was not possible, his heart told him to just hug the sleeping teen.  
  
A soft voice broke through his indecision. "You didn't really think we would let him disappear on us, did you, Padfoot?"  
  
Sirius didn't move his eyes from the teen. "This can't be real."  
  
Remus chuckled softly. "Oh, but it is."  
  
Frowning, his friend turned to him, still keeping an eye on the teen, as if afraid he would disappear if he stopped looking at the slight form. "How, Moony?"  
  
Remus laughed softly, at the disbelieving tone of voice his friend was using but started to tell him exactly what had happened since they had found out what was going on with James and Lily. By the end of the tale, Sirius was sitting in a chair next to Remus, trying to process all the information his friend had given him. A deep happiness was starting to take a hold of his mind, and slowly he started to smile.  
  
"So, James and Lily awakened? Harry is fine?"  
  
Remus grimaced a bit. "James and Lily are indeed awake. As for Harry, we'll have to wait until he wakes up to be completely sure but Madam Pomfrey already says he's exhausted. All his bruises have faded so she's not concerned about that but, well, you know how Harry gets."  
  
Sirius groaned softly and leaned back into his seat. "You're telling me. Here we go again."  
  
Remus chuckled softly. "Well, it could have been worse."  
  
The man didn't comment.  
  
Some of the happiness in Sirius had dimmed, replaced with concern, but the smile stayed on his face. Even if Harry was weak, or sick, or whatever, he was still here, alive, and that was enough to return the light into the man's eyes.  
  
James woke up late the next morning. He was feeling more alert and refreshed than he had the previous evening and some of the confusion that had clouded his mind had disappeared. Slowly, he sat up in the bed, trying to assess the condition his body was in. Luckily, he was not in pain, and although he was hungry, everything else seemed to be fine.  
  
"Good morning, Mr Potter, I trust you slept well?"  
  
James started and looked at his side, where his transfiguration professor was looking at him intently. "Er. Good morning, Ma'am. Yes, I slept fine, thanks for asking." Looking at the other bed, the boy couldn't help but worry about his girlfriend. "Is Lily ok, Professor? Did Harry help her?"  
  
McGonagall chuckled. "Miss Evans is fine, James, although Madam Pomfrey thinks she will still sleep for a few more hours yet. She came out of the dream state a few hours after you."  
  
James nodded, relieved to know Harry had kept his word, and relaxed against the pillows. His teacher stood up and smiled at him slightly. "I have to go talk to Professor Dumbledore, on the way I'll ask a house elf to bring you something to eat. If you need something, ask either Daniel or Ryan."  
  
McGonagall pointed towards the two men and then left the room.  
  
James stayed quiet for a few minutes, observing the still figures of his best friends. It was strange knowing that those adults were his friends, they acted so differently, specially Sirius. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to change the joking, happy kid, into this serious, somewhat sad, man.  
  
Curious about what the two teachers were watching, James slid out of his bed and silently made his way towards the other side of the room. Even being careful so as not to make any noise, Daniel heard him and turned his head to acknowledge him, a small smile on his lips.  
  
"Good morning, James, it's nice to see you again."  
  
Ryan turned slightly, never letting go of the hand of the person lying in bed, and also smiled to him. "Hey, Prongs."  
  
James came to a stop next to them and in a joking voice, greeted them. "Good morning, Professors."  
  
Both adults chuckled lightly but didn't say anything, there was nothing to say. James finally looked at the bed and immediately froze in shock. Remus noticed this and arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Something wrong, James?"  
  
The boy couldn't say anything, his brain was still trying to register that lying in that bed, was Harry, his future son, and that instead of being still, as dead people should be, the boy was still breathing regularly. Ryan finally remembered why this should be a shock to James and laughed softly.  
  
"Yes, James, this is Harry and he's not dead. To be completely truthful, he never died."  
  
The raven-haired boy looked at him. "But... but I saw him die!"  
  
Remus shook his head. "No, you saw him get hit with the killing curse."  
  
An unexpected voice joined the conversation. "That's the same thing!"  
  
The three men watched as Lily joined them, coming to stand next to James. Both teens kissed briefly, but their attention was still on Harry. "Anyone who gets hit with the killing curse dies, that's why it's called the killing curse. No one has ever survived it."  
  
Ryan looked sadly at his godson. "Harry has, or rather will, survive it. On several occasions, actually. Your son is called The Boy Who Lived for a reason, Lily."  
  
Lily looked confused, as did James. "That's what he said in my dream, but I don't understand what that means. And what is this about my son? I don't have a son! And why are you three being so familiar with each other?" The three men laughed at her ranting, while the girl looked at them annoyed. "Someone better start explaining things soon, or I'll hex you."  
  
Shaking his head in laughter at her antics, Daniel softly started to explain everything about Harry to the two teens.  
  
Harry sighed softly, he was starting to awaken but he really didn't want to. It was painful, all his muscles were sore and he was starting to get a headache. It really was no wonder, after all, he had been ripped apart and pulled back together. That last thought made him fight harder for consciousness, he had to make sure his body was back, although the pain that was travelling through his limbs made him pretty sure it was. Moaning in pain, he opened his eyes a bit. The bright light in the room blinded him for a moment, making his head pulse painfully. Someone, Harry wasn't sure who, gently took his hand.  
  
"Harry, kiddo, are you awake?"  
  
Harry moaned again, trying to open his eyes further, but the light was starting to hurt even more and he knew it would only be a matter of minutes before he was once again out. Suddenly someone lifted up his upper body, causing him to hiss in pain, and something cold was pressed against his lips. The same soft voice spoke to him again.  
  
"Kiddo, drink this, it will make you feel better."  
  
His mind somehow registered what the voice had told him to do, and he slowly opened his mouth a bit, just enough to allow the liquid to seep through. He was nearly asleep again, when he felt himself being lowered back into the bed. Soft hands tucked him in and he felt himself drift off to sleep.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And a million thanks to my beta reader, Tanya. 


	50. Introspections

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
The next time he woke up, Harry was feeling much better. His muscles were still sore, but at least he could move without being in too much pain. Slowly he opened his eyes, trying to assess how bright it was in the room. Luckily, the light didn't blind him like it had done the last time around, and he was able to open his eyes without trouble. Looking around, he saw Ron and Hermione sitting in chairs near his bed. They were talking softly to each other and hadn't noticed he had woken up. Harry stayed still for a few minutes, enjoying the sight of his best friends talking peacefully to each other, without the worry and stress that too often marked their conversations.  
  
Ron was the first to notice he was awake, while talking to his friend, he had looked up to check on Harry, only to find laughing emerald eyes staring at him. With a small whoop of joy, Ron sprang up from his chair and gently embraced his friend in a short hug. Before he could utter a word he was roughly pushed aside and Harry found himself trying to hug a crying Hermione. Ron watched amusedly as his friend cried for a while and Harry tried to calm her down, telling her he was fine. Knowing this could take a while, Ron left the room, intent on informing Ryan, Daniel and Dumbledore that Harry had finally woken up.  
  
Hermione let go of Harry's neck a few minutes after Ron had left the room. Brushing her tears away, she sat back in her chair and smiled up at her friend. "Sorry about that, Harry, I was just so relieved you had finally woken up."  
  
The boy smiled softly at her and turned to lie on his side so he could look at her without trouble. "It's ok, 'Mione. How long was I out?"  
  
Hermione grimaced slightly. "About five days, after you appeared again, that is. You woke up shortly, two days ago, but Sirius says you were in a lot of pain and didn't seem to know what was going on."  
  
Harry frowned slightly. He vaguely remembered a soft voice telling him to drink something; it probably had been Sirius. Thinking about Sirius, made him think about everyone else. That no one besides him was in the hospital wing was a good sign, but he still needed to know how everyone was doing. "Herm? Is everyone ok?"  
  
Hermione smiled at her friend's concern and settled back into her chair. "Let's see. Ryan nearly had a nervous breakdown when you disappeared, but he's fine now, just exhausted. He has stayed with you most of the time and Remus had to drag him out of here so he could sleep and eat something. Daniel is doing well, although he got in a lot of arguments with Sirius for the last few days, well, more or less like when you defeated Voldemort." Harry nodded in understanding.  
  
"Ron and I have been worried about you, but otherwise we're also okay. James and Lily are still in shock about you. Daniel and Ryan told them a lot about you and they are still trying to process it all. Sirius and Remus, the younger ones, are trying to kill Peter, because Ryan told them what will happen with the slimy rat." Hermione grimaced. "Ron and I spent our time either here or protecting the little bastard."  
  
Harry looked at her in amazement and couldn't help but chuckle. "Let me get this straight. You two, who hate Pettigrew nearly as much as me, are protecting him from the Marauders?"  
  
Hermione looked at him, irritated. "I don't think it's funny. Luckily, Dumbledore asked Snape to take Peter out of here for a few days, at least until we're ready to erase everyone's memories of what has happened."  
  
Harry grimaced. He really didn't want to do that. It was like betraying his parents; sending them to their deaths. Hermione picked up the expression in his face and gently took his hand. "You know we have to do this, Harry."  
  
The boy turned his head away, to glare at the wall in front of him. "I know, Hermione I know we have to do this so the future stays the same, so Voldemort will disappear for thirteen years, so a lot of people, who would have been killed by him, will still be able to live. I know all that, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or that it's easy for me to do this. I've always had to think of everyone else, and just for once, I would like to be selfish and tell everyone to go to hell, to just allow my parents to live, even if it brought Voldemort back."  
  
Hermione stayed quiet for a few moments, unsure about what she should say. A soft noise to her left made her turn around and she saw Ryan and Daniel standing at the door. It seemed both men had heard what Harry had said. With a small movement of his head, Ryan indicated she should leave with Daniel so he could talk with Harry alone. Hermione nodded slightly, and bent down to kiss Harry on the check.  
  
"I'll be back in a while."  
  
Harry nodded, but his eyes were still fixed on Sirius. When Hermione and Remus had finally left the room, Ryan walked slowly up to his godson's bed. Without saying a word, he sat down on the bed next to Harry and took the boy into his arms in a gentle hug. Harry couldn't help but relax in his godfather's arms. He always felt so protected there, even more so than in Dumbledore's.  
  
"I'm so glad you're finally awake, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and pulled away from his godfather so he could see his face. "You heard what Hermione and I were talking about, didn't you?"  
  
Sirius nodded lightly. "Moony and I arrived just when she was talking about erasing their memory." Harry observed his godfather intently. He expected to see sadness in his features, but instead of that, he found peace, a deep peace that had finally erased the shadows of Azkaban. Confused, he asked Sirius, "Don't you feel the same way I do, Sirius?"  
  
The older man smiled gently down at him, no trace of sadness appeared in his eyes. "I thought I would, Harry. I sincerely thought this would be hard, but it isn't. Look, James and Lily were my best friends, for several years they became the most important thing in my life. After they died, I felt lost, I didn't have anything to focus on. Sure, you were there, but as much as I loved you, a small baby can not take the place of your best friends, your family. The love you have for a kid is very different, and while it doesn't mean I loved you less than I loved your parents, it couldn't cover the hurt of their loss."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Sirius continued. "After Azkaban, my focus became killing Peter, or at least capturing him, and even if I did everything in my power to help you, the deep resentment towards him pushed me to be reckless. It also covered the loss of James and Lily; it gave a new focus. After I finally met you, that started to change again. I started to look for Peter even more frantically, not for revenge, but for you, so I could offer you something you'd deserved your whole live. You essentially became my life, my focus, my happiness."  
  
By this point Harry was blushing. Even if Sirius had told him more than once that he loved him, this was different. Slowly Harry began to realise where Sirius was going with his speech, but he still listened intently to what his godfather was saying.  
  
"When we came here, I noticed that seeing James and Lily didn't hurt so much anymore. Sure, it was still weird, but every time I saw them, I was able to remember the happy things instead of their death. What really hurt, what made me realise that James and Lily were really not that important to me anymore, was how much it hurt when YOU disappeared. All these days I haven't been that worried about James and Lily because I was completely focused on you. The only real reason I wanted James and Lily to wake up was so you could come back."  
  
Sirius paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "I know it sounds cold, and I don't really mean to seem harsh. I only want you to realise that James and Lily are dead to me, and they have been for a long time. Bringing them back would be great if we knew for sure what would happen, but maybe it will turn out for the worse. Maybe they will end up dead anyway. Maybe this time you will die, and that's something I can't risk. You were talking about being selfish, well, now I'm being selfish I don't want to risk you for something we don't even know will work out."  
  
They stayed silent for a long moment. Sirius sat calmly looking at his godson, hoping that the boy would understand what he had tried to explain. Finally, Harry looked at him. "I don't know what to say."  
  
Sirius's eyes became a bit sad, but he kept his smile on his lips. "You don't have to say anything, Harry."  
  
The boy nodded and closed his eyes. "I'm tired."  
  
Sirius stood up and gently kissed his forehead. "Go to sleep, kid."  
  
Without another word, Sirius walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. A few moments after his godfather walked out, Harry sat up again. He wasn't really that tired, he just needed time to think. He knew Sirius had only tried to tell him that his priorities had changed; that having James and Lily alive wasn't so important to his godfather as it was to keep him safe. Harry decided that maybe it was time to also look at his priorities. He knew he always wanted his parents alive, but for the first time, he questioned his reasons. After all, he barely knew them. What was it about James and Lily Potter that he wanted? The answer was easier than he expected; he just wanted a family, someone to call his. Following this train of thought, he realised that that was stupid. He already had a family. Sirius, Dumbledore, Remus, even Severus, if they ever managed to be friends again; they were all there for him and they never got tired of reminding him of it. Then why was it so important to have his parents back? This time the answer was a bit harder to find, but eventually he came up with it. He was afraid. He was afraid that Sirius would find someone else, a wife, maybe even kids, after all his godfather wasn't that old. And then what? What would happen to him? The same with Remus and Severus. Dumbledore was the only one whom Harry doubted would form a family now that the war was over, but the man was old, as much as Harry loathed to think about it, the old Headmaster might not be alive much longer.  
  
Sighing sadly, Harry lay back down. Sirius was right; how could he ever consider risking everything he loved for something unknown? His parents might die, he might die, too, or Sirius, or Remus. And maybe Sirius would still want him around even if he got married. Closing his eyes, the boy thought that maybe he should ask; it would sure help to calm his insecurities. With a last soft sigh, he felt asleep.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta reader Tanya for her help. 


	51. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Dangers in the Past.  
  
Sirius was sitting next to him, reading a book, the next time Harry woke up. The boy stayed still for a few minutes, looking at his godfather's tired features. Sirius didn't notice he was awake until he spoke.  
  
"Sirius?"  
  
The man looked up quickly, obviously surprised. "You startled me, Harry."  
  
Harry smiled. "Sorry." Then he became serious again. "When are we leaving?"  
  
Sirius put his book away and sighed, still unsure as to how Harry would react. "Actually, I was just waiting for you to wake up. All the others except for Dumbledore have already gone to the future. The headmaster is just waiting for us to go so he can place a memory charm on the school."  
  
Harry nodded slightly and looked at his godfather carefully. "Sirius, can I ask you something?"  
  
The man nodded, somewhat surprised that Harry hadn't protested their hasty departure. "Ask away, kid."  
  
"When we are back, I'm going to live with you, right?"  
  
"Yes, of course, unless you want to go somewhere else."  
  
Harry ignored the last part and continued. "And you're going to be my family, right?"  
  
Sirius blinked and went to sit on the bed, taking one of Harry's hands in his own. "If you want me to. Harry, why are you asking me all this? I thought that had been arranged even before we came here."  
  
The boy ignored him once again. "What will happen when you start a family on your own, Sirius? What will happen with me? Will I be sent to live somewhere else?"  
  
Sirius was obviously surprised at that question, but he knew he shouldn't have been. After all, it was normal that Harry still had insecurities, their relationship over the years had been anything but normal. Stroking the boy's hair lightly, Sirius spoke in a soft voice. "Harry, you are my family. I'm not saying that I won't fall in love and have a bunch of kids of my own, because I don't know that, neither do you. What I can tell you without doubt, is that if I marry someone, the woman I love has to like you, and that if I have kids you will always remain my oldest son." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I already arranged, before we came here, that if something ever happened to me, you would be able to stay with Remus. If something happens to him, too, then you'll stay with Severus. And if something happens to the three of us, you will stay with Dumbledore, and if not, you will stay at Hogwarts. It has all been arranged so that no matter what happens, you will never have to be tossed around to some unknown relatives of yours, you will be safe and loved until you're ready to start a family on your own. Is that ok, baby?"  
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh a little and hug his godfather tightly. He knew the man was serious, that he would never joke about something like that, knowing how important it was for Harry to be accepted and loved. After a few minutes, they broke apart and Sirius stood up. "I'm going to get the Marauders so you can say goodbye to them, ok?"  
  
Harry nodded, and waited patiently until his godfather returned, accompanied with the four teens. The first one to greet him was Lily, who ran forward to hug him. Harry immediately relaxed into her hug and squeezed her back tightly. After a few moments, the girl pulled back and smiled a teary smile to him. "Thank you so much for helping us, Harry."  
  
The raven haired boy smiled at her. "I would always help you, no matter what," then he softly added, "mom."  
  
The girl couldn't help but blush, making the other teens laugh. James gently pushed her aside and also hugged his son. "Don't worry, Harry, I'm sure things will be very different from now on. I mean, we will never trust that filthy rat, so we won't die, right?"  
  
Harry looked over at his godfather, who had a sad smile on his face. Realising the teens hadn't been told about the memory charm, Harry smiled slightly. "Right."  
  
After James, Remus and Sirius both gave him hugs, promising him they wouldn't let Peter do anything. Ryan, seeing Harry was about to burst into tears, quickly ushered the teens out of the room, saying they needed to go. With a last glance to his best friends, Sirius closed the door behind them and moved to Harry's bed. The teen was sobbing softly into his hands, but immediately embraced him when Sirius bent over to pick him up.  
  
Accommodating Harry in his arms, Sirius leaned his cheek on Harry's head. "It's time to go, kid, Madam Pomfrey is already waiting for you in the hospital wing."  
  
Harry groaned through his tears. "Not again! You know I hate it there."  
  
Sirius laughed softly. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to convince her to allow you to stay with me for a while, at least until you're well enough to start classes again."  
  
The boy smiled a bit. "That would be great, Sirius. Will Remus be staying, too?"  
  
His godfather nodded. "Yes, at least for a while." Both godfather and godson looked out of the window of the hospital wing for a moment, then Sirius tightened his grip on Harry and softly asked, "Ready?"  
  
Harry nodded and gripped the man's neck tightly. "Yes, Sirius, lets go home."  
  
The end.  
  
A/N: Well, that's it, here ends Dangers in the Past. I hope you liked this story and that it didn't become too long, I really didn't think it would be as long as it has been. As I have been saying, there's going to be a sort of prequel, I say sort of because it will not centre around time- travelling, rather it will focus on how Harry's and Dumbledore's relationship became as close as it's now. It will be a story on its own and can be read independently. I already know it will be called Web of Lies but it will probably still take some time to come out since I'm trying to finish Free first. I will post here where you can find it after I start posting it so don't worry about not finding the story. I think that's all I have to say for now, I hope you keep enjoying my other stories. Polaris 


	52. Prequel

Hey people, I finally started on the prequel to Dangers in the Past, you will be able to find it at:  
  
http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1124764  
  
Or in my yahoo group; groups.yahoo.com/group/polaris_45/  
  
I hope you like it. 


End file.
